May 2018 Index

The Index

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May 2018 It’s official. The Haverford School Fords are the 2018 Inter-Ac League regular-season Champions.

This 13-3 season, one of the most successful since the 2015 undefeated team, was marked with ups and downs, but in the end, the team came together and played like champions.

The season began in early March against the Boys’ Latin Lakers from Maryland. A hardfought, 6-9 loss in the first game of the season might have sent many teams into a frenzy, but the Fords were not one of those teams.

Knowing that the mindset needed to be turned around, the Fords played with a vengeance the next day with home-field advantage, defeating the then-fourth-ranked McDonough School Eagles in a 12-7 contest. The season only went up from then. The Fords began a 14-2 hot streak, including wins over The Everest Academy of Ontario and The Landon School in a game at Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Field.

Fifth Former Peter Garno was proud of the way his team rebounded together. “Besides a few slip-ups the regular season was very successful,” Garno said. “We worked hard to fix what was bad and we got the job done.”

By the beginning of May, the Fords were undefeated in Inter-Ac contests and were vying for first place in the league. Only one team stood in their way for the final game of the season: The Episcopal Academy. With a 3-1 league record, the Churchmen rolled into the May 11 game hot off a win against St. Joe’s Prep and with home-field advantage. A win for them would tie them for

Volume LXXX, No. 8

Haverford, Pennsylvania

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MR. CHARLES FOX VIA PHILLY.COM

the top position, and the head-to-head tiebreaker would win them the league.

The Fords, however, had a different plan.

The student fan section showed up en masse which, according to Sixth Former T.J. Malone, made the game feel like a home game. Malone scored four goals.

“The EA game was amazing to be a part of,” Malone said. “Our student section was huge and so was EA’s. The only thing better than playing your rivals is playing them with a big crowd supporting you. I’m proud of our team for believing in each other throughout the game.”

The game was the season in microcosm. The

Churchmen jumped out to a quick lead, but the Fords pressed on and closed the gap. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at 8. After the extra period started, the Fords were given a free possession after a false start on the faceoff. cont. pg. 14

Sixth Form causes prank reconsideration CHARLIE TOWLE ’19

A Haverford education is a wonderful gift, but students are not always as appreciative as they should be. Consider a child on Christmas morning, whose family gives him wonderful presents.

He briefly thanks the gift givers for their generosity, but then continues his day forgetting their generosity.

The senior prank is a deeply rooted tradition at Haverford. Year after year, typically on their last day of classes, Sixth Formers seize the opportunity

to make their mark on the community.

Dean of Students Mr. Mark Fifer, a faculty member for fourteen years, recalls some of the most memorable senior pranks.

“One year, students got on the roof of the fieldhouse and spelled out ‘Fords’ and their class using toilet paper,” he remembers.

Other years, students have brought dogs into the building, parked a car on the front steps of the high school, and threw water balloons at the

younger students.

Creative pranks still exist, such as this year’s inflatable waterslide on Sabol Field for enjoying the arrival of warm weather. But over the past three years, what was designed to be an expression of creativity has devolved into acts of irreverence and destruction. Some of these violations include entering Wilson Hall without authorization and piling up furniture; destroying teachers’ rooms; smearing oil across the floor and the stairwells,

Overturned planter outside Wilson Hall in the early morning of Senior Prank Day.

MRS. HOLLY GOLECKI

Toby Ma ’20 explores soft robotic summer plans on pg. 12

DR. JOHN NAGL

and using shaving cream to vandalize the walls.

These harmful activities are detrimental to the core values of the Haverford community.

“More recently, my concern is that students feel entitled to doing a prank that results in members of our community having to clean up their mess,” says Mr. Fifer.

“I wish they could manage to come up with ideas that did not cost the school money and did not burden our already overburdened maintenance staff.”

-Dr. William D. Ehrhart Having witnessed the development of senior pranks throughout his tenure, Dr. William Ehrhart agrees with Mr. Fifer.

“I wish they could manage to come up with ideas that did not cost the school money and did not burden our already overburdened maintenance staff,” explains Dr. Ehrhart.

Why destroy the building in which students spend the majority of their day learning and interacting with others? Why force the maintenance staff to clean up after the Sixth Formers?

Dr. Ehrhart stresses the importance of leaving the school on a positive note. He muses, “What would really be interesting is if the senior class decided, that instead of doing a prank, they all got together and did something nice.”

Dr. Ehrhart challenges rising Sixth Formers and all underclassmen to be the first to set a positive example worth emulating in the years to come. “[The senior prank] is what a lot of adults are going to remember about that senior class,” Dr. Ehrhart said.

DR. MICHAEL NANCE

Vincent Scauzzo ’20 recaps the track team’s Penn Relay performance on pg. 17

Page 2

The Index - Editorial

May 2018

Senior remembrance day On their final day of classes, an otherwise-beloved Haverford class caused thousands of dollars in property damage. The school administration was perplexed, and teachers were ashamed. During a typical time of celebration and reflection, Sixth Formers watched as teachers and maintenance staff cleaned up the mess they left behind.

In years past, “senior pranks” have been clever, witty, and memorable. But those words do not

apply to this year’s stunt. The words destructive, damaging, and humiliating are more apt.

Canola oil and flour littered the school hallways and bathrooms. Overturned flower pots barricaded entrances. Teachers questioned why this happened. Was there really so much disdain among students? Is this really what Haverford means to them? And how could this have been prevented, if at all?

Much of the opening act was unseen by teachers and maintenance staff. A group of Sixth Formers took it upon themselves to wreak havoc in the early hours of the day. While it is not fair to judge the entire class on the actions of a few, it is nonetheless inexcusable. But just a few hours later, the real prank took center stage. Sixth Formers gathered on Sabol Field to enjoy a beautiful beach day with both Agnes Irwin and Baldwin girls. Beach day featured a 30-foot water slide, frisbee tossing,

2017-18 Editors-in-Chief (L to R): Samuel Turner ’18, P.J. Rodden ’18, Nick Chimicles ’19

INDEX STAFF

Spikeball games, and Cal Buonocore on the grill.

It was a cherished ending.

Some, however, felt that the prank needed more, that it should resemble a practical joke or Mischief Night. These same students wanted to outdo last year’s damage. They may have even worried that if destruction was not involved, the class might be ridiculed.

Despite the planning, time, energy, and money that went into Beach Day, the Sixth Form will always have a little red on their ledger. Let’s hope next year’s graduates remembers their Haverford days with a little more class and a little more respect.

These questions will remain unanswered, but one thing remains clear: the last day of classes should be a day of remembrance. “Senior prank day” should instead be “senior remembrance day” — something that Sixth Formers can proudly look back upon. Despite the planning, time, energy, and money that went into Beach Day, the Sixth Form will always have a little red on their ledger. Let’s hope next year’s graduates remembers their Haverford days with a little more class and a little more respect.

Letter from Student Council representative T.J. Malone ’18 April showers bring May flowers. And May flowers bring the approach of summer. The Sixth Formers are out of Wilson Hall, in “the real world,” conducting their final projects and exploring fields of interest.

The Fifth Formers now have big shoes to fill for the rest of this school year and next year. Have fun, be safe, make good memories (and decisions).

You only have one life; live it to the fullest.

Have fun, be safe, make good memories (and decisions). You only have one life; live it to the fullest.

That’s all I got for you.

The new student council is almost ready to go. If you have any suggestions for community activities or additions to the community room, talk to your new student representatives. Student suggestions are key because the student council does not always know the student body’s general opinion, even though we try to represent you the

The 2017-2018 Student Council.

best we can. This year’s Student Council has done its best to represent, entertain, and change you.

And now it is time for next year’s representatives to lead the school.

MR. MARK FIFER

The Index’s 2017-2018 Staff

P.J. Rodden ’18, Samuel Turner ’18, Nick Chimicles ’19, Editors-in-Chief Neetish Sharma ’19, News Editor

Eusha Hasan ’18, Features Editor Toby Ma ’20, Assistant Features Editor

Will Henderson ’18, Opinions Editor John Comai ’18, Opnions Editor

Grant Sterman ’18, Politics Editor Robert Esgro ’19, Assistant Politics Editor

Nick Chimicles ’19, Head Web Editor Lleyton Winslow ’20, Head Web Editor Noah Rubien ’20, Web Editor Aditya Sardesai ’20, Web Editor Will Merhige ’18, Social Media Editor

Bobby Stratts ’18, Staff Photographer

Ms. Alicia Evans, Faculty Advisor Mr. Thomas Stambaugh, Faculty Advisor

All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at index@haverford.org.

The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OS X, using Adobe InDesign CS 2018. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. Graphic designs are created by Index staff via Canva.

Southern Dutchess News prints 200-400 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the Upper School on the day of release. The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1091 community members, consisting of 975 students and 116 faculty members.

Gaspard Vadot ’18, Arts Editor Vincent Scauzzo ’20, Assistant Arts Editor Matt LaRocca ’18, Sports Editor Nick Pippis ’19, Assistant Sports Editor

The Index is a student-run publication of the Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community. The Index also provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs.

The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change.

Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index http://www.havindex.com/ (610) 642-3020 x. 1222 Volume LXXX, No. 8 - May 18, 2018

Page 3

The Index - News

Historians head to archives in Research Collaborative

May 2018

INTEL CHEN ’19

YAN GRAF ’20

Why should science have all the fun? This is part of the philosophy of this year’s rising Sixth Form summer research program for history. The history department is piloting a new opportunity for rising Sixth Formers: the Advanced Research Program in History. Drawing inspiration from the current Advanced Laboratory Research Cooperative, it aims to teach students to engage in high-level historical research on a topic of their choosing. After the summer, the program plans to help these students transform that research into a major paper and presentation by the spring.

As with the science program, this program plans to involve a major time commitment over the summer months. The fall schedule entails meeting once per cycle during the fall and spring of senior year. Working with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, this program will allow students to actually conduct specific primary source research from real historical figures, rather than relying on historians for information.

This year, history teachers Ms. Amanda Vos

Strache and Mr. Timothy Lengel will advise and lead the program, a pilot for a hopefully promising future.

“The school has run a really successful research program in the sciences for a while, so we plan to build off of that great momentum there in the humanities,” said Mr. Lengel. “The idea here is that students will learn about doing archival research. Haverford students tend to be quite good at writing their history papers using secondary sources. This is really good scholarship, but they’re citing other historians. To do true history research of a particular kind, however, you really need to be drawing your information off of primary resources. For example, reading letters from John Adams to George Washington in order to learn about political tensions during the Early Republic would demonstrate that deeper understanding.”

The program is already underway, with a methods course taught at the beginning of the experience to teach students how to engage in this sort of historical research and writing. From there, the

plan is for students to spend the rest of the summer doing research on their own while checking in with designated mentors. Students will meet on a regular basis during the first half of the year to write the papers while spending the spring to draft the paper and present it. Though presentation logistics are still being determined, students can expect a significant time commitment towards this in-depth project. The finished products ideally will be up to twenty to thirty pages long, which is similar in length to a college-level research paper.

“We are blessed here in Philadelphia, given such an old and historical region, that we have a lot of archives,” said Mr. Lengel. “There’s the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia started by none other than Ben Franklin, college archives, historical society archives, and little towns to do research on. Essentially, there’s just such a great opportunity for some of our students who really enjoy history to take a swing at the bat and produce a really high

quality research paper.”

History is a deeply complex discipline that, like the sciences, could always use more research to push the envelope for curiosity and knowledge within the field. What distinguishes the Advanced History Research Cooperative is that young high school students may advance the current field of history in the world today. This is commonly seen as the job of experienced historians, but students can see, through this opportunity, how they too can fill these shoes.

“This school prepares students well for an academic life. However, I still think there is some value in giving students who are motivated in a particular subject the time, the resources, and the energy to take a really deep dive at something they might care a lot about. This is a great opportunity, also, for budding writers, as these papers will be great practice for college-level papers,” said Mr. Lengel. “It can give you a good sense of what real historians are doing.”

Fords join National Merit scholars ADITYA SARDESAI ’20 With the cost of college ever increasing, students and families look towards scholarships to help subsidize the high price tag for high-level education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the cost of an undergraduate education, fees, and room and board is rising at public and private universities. Such spikes increase the burden placed on students and families looking to attend these universities. In addition to various sorts of financial aid, students actively look for scholarships — such as the National Merit Scholarship — to lessen the stress of paying for college. Three students from Haverford were recognized as National Merit Scholarship winners: Sixth Formers Grant Sterman, Samuel Turner, and Satch Baker.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation aims to promote, recognize, and aid students who have proven to be exceptionally academically talented. Drawing information primarily from standardized test scores, the NMSC recognizes students who performed well after taking the PSATs in the fall of Junior year. The NMSC “sets a bar for a minimum PSAT score. If you score above that you become a National Merit semifinalist,”

Sterman said.

Once recognized as a semifinalist, Baker said, “You need to submit an SAT score to confirm that doing well on the PSAT wasn’t a fluke.” From here, the 15,000 students that are recognized as National Merit Scholarship Finalists complete an application consisting of “an essay and teacher recommendation, along with any awards you’ve won and activities you participate in,” Baker said.

After a six-month wait in anticipation, the NMSC decides whether or not one becomes a winner of the scholarship. According to Sterman, “Only half of the finalists win [the scholarship].”

From the over 1.6 million juniors who take the PSAT, only 7,500 are recognized as winners, placing Sterman, Turner, and Baker amongst the top 0.5% test-takers in the United States.

A wide variety of scholarships are offered, including, “company-sponsored scholarships, college-sponsored ones, and one-time payments from the organization,” Sterman said.

While the amount varies, “Mine, Sam, and Grant’s are all one-time $2,500 scholarships,” Baker said — a little bit to help lessen the burden of college tuition.

While Satch and Grant might not have done a lot to prepare specifically for the PSAT, Baker says, “To be totally honest, I didn’t study. I just showed up and took the test.” It is not easy to succeed.

Sterman corroborates, saying that his ACT prep prior to the exam was enough: “I felt very ready for the PSAT already. I just took one practice test the week before. The key to the PSAT is just taking it seriously because so many kids just take it as a joke.” Baker recommends to “make sure you’ve got a firm grasp of grammar and basic math” in addition to have taken the PSAT sophomore year and have done prep for the SAT or ACT. The National Merit Scholarship exists as a scholarship different than the athletic scholarships in that it is completely academic. Baker said, “The scholarship is not really based on need, race, or anything else. It’s strictly about performance on the test, in school, and extracurriculars.”

“At the end of the day, all people are eligible to win this. It is solely based upon your intelligence, which is cool,” Sterman said.

Scholarships based off of standardized test scores are part of reason for the increase in the popularity of tutoring services in the U.S. “I don’t

National Merit Finalists and Sixth Formers (L to R) Kyle Wagner, Grant Sterman, Satch Baker, Samuel Turner, and Grady Nance.

know of someone who didn’t go through tutoring of some sort. It’s commonplace on the Main Line. People see standardized tests as the most important mechanism to get into a good college, so they’ll pay top dollar to score well,” said Sterman.

Some feel that the wealthy can afford quality tutoring to help score better on standardized tests, which help them attain scholarships. However, a student with limited means might not receive this aid because he or she can not afford a tutor.

Through all of this, the question arises: why is the cost of college increasing? The data shows increasing costs because the amount of funding a college or university receives per student is declining. In 2015-16, the amount given per student was 11% lower than a decade earlier, adjusted for inflation. Enrollment in institutions of higher education has increased over the years, but the amount of money given to the schools has not been able to sustain this increase in enrollment.

While politicians are pushing for cheaper or even free tuition, for right now, most students simply have highly competitive scholarships to lessen the burden of paying for a college education.

MS. DAWN BLAKE

Page 4

The Index - News

May 2018

Robotics score fourth-place finish at Worlds DANIEL CHOW ’20

INTEL CHEN ’19

Toby Ma ’20 and Aditya Sardesai ’20 packing up their robot to prepare for next year’s championships.

Emerging victorious from the Eastern Pennsylvania State Championships, Haverford’s robotics team, The Cavalry, carried on their momentum into the Vex Robotics World Championship. As the end of the season approached, the four qualifying Cavalry teams, 169A, 169E, 169C, and 169Y, were ready to take home final trophies.

At VEX Worlds, over five hundred teams, all champions from their native regions, compete for the title of World Champions. With both the powerhouse countries of the United States, China, and Canada and underdogs from Bahrain and Japan participating, the World Championships offers not only fierce competition but also a diverse place to come together with a common love of robotics.

At the grand tournament, teams are split into six divisions, each with approximately one hundred teams. Per the two-versus-two game format, each team plays ten matches over the course of three days, with each match being two random teams from a single division competing. At the end of this “qualification match stage,” teams are ranked based on their match win rate and autonomous win rate, a period in the match where robots function based on pre-programmed commands.

The top sixteen teams pick one partner to play with them in the elimination stage, forming an “alliance.” Placed into a sixteen seed bracket, each alliance then plays in a best-of-one format until a division victor is determined. Once the six division champions are determined, they face off in a round robin format in front of all the participants, in which the top two teams then play a best-of-three match to finally name the year’s World Champions.

Going into the tournament as a veteran team, there were certain expectations for success and a mountain of pressure that came with it.

“Going into Worlds, our main goal was to do better than last year, and make the elimination stage,” says Fourth Former Bennett Twitmyer.

“Being on team 169, high level of play is expected of us at Worlds, and we always try to exceed those standards. Although there was a lot of pressure to do well, our hours upon hours of mechanical and mental preparation put us to ease, as all of the teams were in great shape heading to Worlds.”

The Cavalry’s meticulous preparation had clearly paid off. Three of the teams earned spots in the elimination round, with two making it to their respective division finals (each division with almost a hundred teams) and one team winning their division to make it out into the top six round robin stage.

Team 169E, composing of Alexander Greer ‘20, Bennett Twitmyer ‘20, Intel Chen ‘19, and Maxim Kreider ‘21, played a total of fourteen

matches in their division, only losing two of them. Ranking third out of ninety seven teams, they picked team 8059X from Singapore and triumphed through the elimination rounds, winning the entire Math division.

Greer says, “I’m really pleased with how well our team worked together to become successful at Worlds. It was a rough ride, firstly with not initially qualifying at the State level and the numerous hours of work in the following week. We got there eventually by placing top 35 in the world in the skills challenge, and that’s what counts.

“I see our Division win as one that was earned by everybody on the entire team, not just the se-

Team 169A, composing of Fifth Formers Scott Shaw and William Clark as well as Third Former Safa Obuz, had a similar to run to 169E. Despite having a rough qualification match schedule that involved numerous unexpected errors and placing thirty-second in their division, the number one seed in their division had seen The Cavalry in action and knew how capable they were.

“Every year, we fully try to understand the inconsistency that appears in the competition and in our robots,” says Safa Obuz. “A field connection issue, mechanical fault, or software bug can easily cause one to lose a match or even a whole tournament. However, we manage to reduce the chance that our robots behave weirdly by practicing nonstop with our robots, constantly tuning them to perfection. Like any year, Scott Shaw, Will Clark, and I knew the robot may not react as planned, and we took a few early losses in the qualification matches. After immediately fixing the errors, we performed without a problem and represented our team well.”

At Worlds, communication is of utmost importance. 169A took matters into their own hands, speaking directly to the number one ranked team as the thirty-second seeded alliance. After a demonstration of capabilities, it was clear to them that 169A was overqualified, being even better than the first seed themselves, and also a clear pick for the Utah team 2131R. “The first seeded team from Utah invited us to their alliance, and we accepted. Dominating the round of sixteen, quarter finals, and semifinals, we eventually made it to division finals. Moments before the last match, we heard our teammates, 169E, won their division, giving us hope and a conception that we could play them in Round Robin if we won,” says Obuz.

However, in the spur of the moment, a slight misplay was made. Playing defense on the enemy robot, 169A accidently put the opposing robot in a precarious position, which resulted in a robot tipping, a disqualifying offense.

“We were in shock. We were a single step from a potential World Championship, a single step from success, and we simply got unlucky. Our defensive strategy had prevailed all throughout the tournament until the last moment,” says Obuz.

“The whole experience taught me that, in life, you must rebound mentally from tough losses, especially in an unpredictable competition like VEX. In the end, I can truly say I learned so much about working in a team, being efficient, overcoming challenges, and developing my character. Next year, I hope to bounce back at it again with another robotics championship.”

VEX Robotics team celebrating their fourth-place finish at Worlds.

lect few individuals who were at the field in the Finals match. From the long nights spent iterating and reiterating robot designs to the countless hours spent practicing together, winning the Division was truly a team effort.”

Winning their division, 169E went on to play in the round robin stage, eventually placing fourth out of six alliances. In other words, they placed fourth in the entire world, where over 11,000 teams across 45 countries competed this year. With this being the fifth time The Cavalry has won a division, Haverford now holds an unprecedented title: most division wins in the history of highschool VEX Robotics.

Teams 169C, composed of Fourth Formers Toby Ma and Noah Rubien as well as Sixth former Michael Feng, and 169Y, composed of Fourth Formers Daniel Chow and Aditya Sardesai as well as Fifth Former Will Vauclain, also tested their mettle. However, facing a rough match schedule that paired them with underwhelming teams, an unlucky struggle stopped them short from reaching their potential. The frustration that of playing multiple “1v2” scenarios created stressful situations that all the teams dealt with.

“During the event, it is ridiculously easy to succumb to stress deriving from academic responsibilities, slight annoyance of others, and nega-

tive performance due to luck, thus churning this negativity into hasty actions. However, each and every one of us deals with this anger and sorrow and that’s where we learn how to gain true resolve and grit,” says Fifth Former Will Vauclain, a newcomer to robotics. “Most people don’t realize that at worlds we easily pull consecutive 18-hour work days, and the fatigue really gets to people’s mental state. It was really a team effort to help us all stay focused, as people that had been at Worlds a lot really helped out the new guys, so we never really felt completely overwhelmed.”

Throughout the whole process, robotics mentor Eli Canavati played an invaluable role in keeping the students together. He says, “I couldn’t be any prouder of how the boys did at worlds. They have proven that they are amongst the best in the world. The students carried themselves with class and dignity whether they were winning or losing.

They have learned a great deal and will take these lessons learned and hopefully will be able to apply them to next year’s game.”

At the end of the week-long journey, all the members of The Cavalry were proud of what they accomplished. At Worlds, the experience is distinctively different from any regional or state tournament. The competition is a strenuous event, a long term assessment of your team, and that’s where the Cavalry’s fine-tuned robots thrive. Analysis and active understanding of previous experience as well as annual challenge and mental focus are necessary to compete at the top level. However, among the stress, the intense focus serves as team bonding, a celebration of each others’ victories and happiness.

Every night of the event, the team collaborated in trying to improve their performance the next day, whether that be through evening scrimmages at nearby hotels with other organizations around the globe or refinement of their autonomous match routines.

“Although the team functions under separate groupings and “letters”, with each of us living a different narrative and experience, we still love to hear each others’ stories.” says Vauclain. “Whether it be scrambling around the team pits or forgetting to eat lunch, each member of the team always made sure everyone else was doing fine and actually having a good time amid the stress. Not only by talking amongst themselves, but talking with teams from all over the world as well.”

Chen says, “This year our team has became more open in the VEX community through more communication and collaboration with other top teams in the world. In Louisville, we competed in the formal competitions during the day, and

INTEL CHEN ’19

went to scrimmages, where there were 3-7 teams practicing, hosted by teams in their hotels. It was absolutely a blast!”

Even scrimmaging with the eventual World Champions, the camaraderie between the students brought together by their passion for STEM made the experience amazing for the students.

“Robotics is not constrained by language or culture, as it is its own form of communication.

It is more than just robots, however: it is the engineering process, the competitive thrill, and the unparalleled diversity that drives us all to keep competing,” says Greer.

Page 5

The Index - News

May 2018

Why do we have Spring Weekend?

EVAN BRABSON ’21

Both students and teachers look forward to the annual Spring Weekend. It is a four-day weekend that falls halfway between spring break and the end of school, offering students the chance to rest after several long weeks of continuous work.

“Spring is a hectic time. Kids are booked on nights and weekends.”

-Mr. Matt Green

A student calendar displaying the four-day spring weekend that was held in late April this year.

INDEX STAFF

According to the Head of the Upper School, Mr. Matt Green, spring weekend was introduced about fifteen years ago at the same time as the current schedule was implemented. A school consultant group recommended to break up the long stretch of time between spring break and Memorial Day weekend. The school chose a fourday weekend instead of having off the Monday following spring break, which many other area schools do.

Mr. Green said, “Spring is a hectic time. Kids are booked on nights and weekends.”

Sports become the most competitive towards the end of spring, and student workloads increase in preparation for exams. Between sports and homework, students have little time to rest. It also provides time to catch up on work. Spring weekend provides a comfortable break from the daily struggles that plague students during this time.

Spring weekend, however, is not always a restful break with teachers sometimes having inschool service days during this time. The long weekend has been shortened due to an excessive amount of snow days in an attempt to make up lost time in the past, and although it was contemplated, the administration decided to have the full spring weekend this year.

The school tries to space the breaks equally throughout the year. As a result, spring weekend is usually either the last weekend of April or the first weekend of May. The school may move the break to be during the same weekend as Easter, but Easter does not determine when it will be.

Home run derby and PB&J club conclude year of service BO BRADY ’21 Service opportunities at Haverford this year are coming to a close, with just a few more opportunities before the year ends:

gust 6-16.

And there is a single 1-week session (Monday-Friday): August 20-24. For more information, visit

projecthome.org.

Thank you to all who participated in Service

this year. We hope you will join us next year as we continue in our efforts to make a positive impact on the world!

Rowan Homes Tutoring, Fridays, May 18 and 25, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Contact Nick Chimicles Peanut Butter and Jelly Club, Sunday, May 20 at Agnes Irwin’s Lower School Dining Hall 11th Annual Home Run Derby to benefit Prostate Cancer Research Tuesday, May 22, during community time.

Dress down day for $3-5.00 Water ice, hot dogs snacks!

Plus raffles for Phillies baseballs signed by: J.P. Crawford, Odubel Herrera and Nick Pivetta.

Interested in summer service?

Project Home has some great programs for Summer Service for rising Fourth and Fifth Form students interested in engaging issues of poverty and homelessness.

1515 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia There are several 2-week service sessions (Monday-Thursday): July 9-19, July 23-August 2, Au-

Some of the paper bags and PB&J sandwiches that Project Home receives every month.

INTEL CHEN ’19

Next steps for new Honor Code VINCENT SCAUZZO ’20 Passed on April 25th, the new Honor Code is as follows: “As a member of the Haverford community, I am a man of integrity who embodies respect, honesty, and courage.”

“We are hoping for bigger, brighter posters and/or written on classroom walls [to serve] as a reminder. We see a lot of cases where the student says they wish in the moment they had not taken a shortcut, this is usually on a Canvas quiz or other small assessments. It is those very moments we hope if the code is more transparent and if students own their integrity that cases of cheating will no longer occur.”

-Mrs. Vos Strache The Honor Council spent almost two years developing the new code. Started under the leadership of Dean Manko ’17, Honor Council members met with Dr. Nagl, students, and even other schools to get the new code perfect. The code had been in place for fifteen years and, like the schedule, the council decided it was time for an update.

Chairman Samuel Turner ’18 and the rest of the

Council hope that this new code will be easier to remember and be more prevalent in students’ minds. When they asked students to recite the entire code, many could not.

Honor Council advisor Mrs. Vos Strache hopes that “transparency and ownership” will be present among students regarding the new code.

“The [old code] had the words ‘we strive to build a community,’ whereas there is more ownership with the new code in being able to relate to the code in the first person.”

In terms of making the code more transparent to students, hopefully so they spend less time in trial, Mrs. Vos Strache said, “We are hoping for bigger, brighter posters and/or written on classroom walls [to serve] as a reminder. We see a lot of cases where the student says they wish in the moment they had not taken a shortcut, this is usually on a Canvas quiz or other small assessments. It is those very moments we hope if the code is more transparent and if students own their integrity that cases of cheating will no longer occur.”

Some students were disappointed to hear that the questions would be omitted because they thought the questions clearly outlined expectations from each student. Yet, as Sixth Form Honor Council member Ed King said in his speech, “We want any student to be able to recite our new Honor Code anywhere at any time, not because you have to, but because it is just that easy.”

The previous Honor Code poster will soon be replaced.

INDEX STAFF

Page 6

It’s a pitch black night on Lancaster Avenue and North Spring Mill Road. As cars zoom down the straightaway to the I-476 ramp, storefronts lining the main road are invisible in the fog—all but one. The incandescent gleam of “Campus Corner” and “Open” attract Villanova students and high schoolers like moths to the most revered hang-out on the Main Line.

Students enter the restaurant, followed by the familiar ring of the door bell, and pack the right atrium, where they bro-hug friends and make their order. A sharp white light pierces tired eyes into youthful excitement. Several TV screens, some displaying the endless, fine-print menu and others the ‘76ers game live, line the edges of the room.

Clearly tense, the smiling cashiers place orders and rush into the kitchen, coming in and out with order notes like buzzing bees.

On the other side of the restaurant, intoxicated Villanova students and several high schoolers chat, laugh, and smirk while indulging on mac-and-cheese bites, chicken fingers, and mayodrenched, submarine-sized subs fit for a family to eat. The scene is enchanting.

The Index - Features

Campus Corner persists as the cultural craze on the Main Line, but why? The answer lies in one man with a noble mission. Slouched on his desk, phone in hand, owner John Iezzi takes a delivery order for a residential customer in Villanova.

Gray stubbled, he dons a blue Villanova basketball hat and golden crucifix necklace.

“Six chicken fingers and fries with ketchup,” he fingers on his new touchscreen computer—a handy tool for keeping track of dozens of orders per night. His business has grown exponentially since they started taking orders for delivery and added a new section to the restaurant.

“In the ‘70s, we were a place that you didn’t make a phone call to and then we brought [the food] to you. They would just make a bunch of quick hoagies and cheesesteaks at certain times and then go into the main dorms in Villanova and just sell them,” Iezzi says. Those were the days when someone else owned Campus Corner.

With years in the restaurant business, Iezzi had the savvy to widen Campus Corner’s boundaries, from cheap quick-eats to homestyle American cooking. He started gaining experience as a little boy, when children working was still socially ac-

EUSHA HASAN ’18

ceptable.

“I started working at the malt shop [in my West Philly neighborhood], a luncheonette that served sundaes and ice cream, when I was ten or eleven years old, bussing tables. It was right around the corner from my house, and I worked there mainly in the summers,” Iezzi recalls.

As owner, Iezzi treats students who walk through his door as if they were his own kids. No matter how packed his restaurant gets, everyone is welcome to hang out.

“When my kids were young, they got kicked out of the local McDonald’s as teenagers. I grew up in West Philly, so I’ve been here for 35 years; I’ve seen it all,” Iezzi remembers. “So I try to be understanding to the kids because not only do I have kids of own, but I was also a kid at one time, too. I get it.”

Iezzi’s fatherly presence reigns over the kitchen.

“The biggest reason why we put out great food is because I try to tell my cooks to prepare the food like if they were making it for themselves and their kids. That’s our motto. We could sell a bunch of garbage for really cheap. That’s how we were handling things 30 years ago since it’s easy to sell bad food to drunk kids, but I have gotten the business away from that model,” he says.

Sixth Former Jackson Spahr, a regular customer, views Iezzi as a father figure.

“I love him as a friend,” Spahr declares. At the beginning of junior year, Spahr began going to Campus Corner after word spread through his friend group.

“I came back from Chinatown with Parker Gravina and went to Campus Corner. The scene was a wreck, people everywhere, people standing on the benches. John [Iezzi] was getting riled up, and I couldn’t keep my fat mouth closed. I tried to make a scene to get attention. It was a rough start with him,” Spahr admits.

But as senior year commenced, Iezzi helped Spahr find the light. “One night he made it clear that he didn’t care for my presence and that if I continued this, he wouldn’t want me back. He really made me think: I’m being that much of a tool,” Spahr says.

Since then, Spahr and Iezzi have bonded.

Jackson Spahr ’18 and John Iezzi pose for an Instagram picture.

Owner John Iezzi takes a delivery order for a residential customer.

EUSHA HASAN ’18

At 23 years old, he started delivering for Campus Corner, a new move that the owner thought would boost sales. Slowly rising through the ranks for twelve years, Iezzi started working inside, cashiering and cooking.

“Then I was the manager of the food court at the Connelly Center at Villanova University,” he adds. “Even though I worked there, I still worked at night here [at Campus Corner] delivering.”

His go-get-’em mentality stems from his five young kids, who made simultaneously working two jobs worth it. “I was always a hustler because I was trying to create a better situation for me and my family. That was my motivation. I was always a workaholic, fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you see it,” he says.

It was clearly a fortunate quality: after years of accruing wealth, he bought Campus Corner in 2002.

May 2018

ISAIAH WINIKUR ’18

Spahr’s own father warned him to behave better with others, but he brushed the advice off. But after Iezzi’s heart-to-heart with Spahr, he is a changed young man.

“I don’t feel that much pressure anymore to make a scene. I would now say I’m the respectful — I wouldn’t say quiet — and mannerly kid.

That’s definitely because of his influence,” Spahr comments.

As their relationship cut deeper, Iezzi eventually asked Spahr to work under his wing this summer. Spahr recalls, “We spoke for 30 minutes about me working for him. He joked around, saying he went from hating me to hiring me. Pretty ironic, pretty funny.”

Looking after his high school and collegiate kids: that’s just Iezzi’s noble mission.

Page 7 It’s past midnight. The first thing you notice when entering this peculiar hotel room is two queen-size mattresses stuffed in a bathroom, in front of the sink and blocking the entrance to the shower.

Take two steps past the vertical mattresses, you find yourself in the larger area of the room with a 12 foot by 12 foot game field set up where the beds should be. On the fields, crammed in the small hotel room, are three robots and ten robotics team members along with their coach, Eli Canavati.

Anytime anyone asked where he was sleeping, he would simply respond with, “Don’t worry about it, I got it all figured out.” For the sake of just a little bit of practice, Canavati gave up his sleeping space to work with the team.

Motivated by his pure devotion during Worlds, the students worked everyday past midnight to fix and perfect every aspect of their robot over the course of three days.

The competition for the title of a World Champion was just around the corner.

Canavati pulls himself out of bed at 5 am. The sun has yet to come over the horizon and only a few birds have woken up to chirp. The faint glow of an iPhone X fills the room as the blaring sound of the default alarm shocks him awake. He throws on a black polo shirt, slides on his sneakers, and hops in his aged blue Corolla, ready to drive off to work.

For almost two years now, Canavati has been working on the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor military aircraft that is able to vertically take off in just moments—an aircraft designed to maintain both the functionality of a typical helicopter and high-speed cruising performance of turboprop aircraft.

“I get to create something every day. I go to work and someone tells me we need this, and I’m able to solve that problem and create some sort of part that someone’s gonna go make and it’ll be installed in an aircraft some day.” says Canavati.

His unwavering passion for his job is something you might not see in many people these days.

“It’s a really good feeling to design something then go out to the aircraft and point at that and say, ‘I designed that. We installed that in the aircraft and that flies out every day,’ and that is what I do, which is really cool. I like that a lot.”

Despite his job taking up a good portion of his day, his second “job” is something that is truly underappreciated by many.

This is where the real story begins.

He wakes up early not because he needs to, but because he chooses to. “During the robotics season, I have to get into work by 6 so I can

The Index - Features

May 2018

INTEL CHEN ’19

leave at 2:30 so I can get into the shop around 3-3:30,” Canavati says. He has been mentoring the Haverford robotics program for about 7 years and working with competitive robotics for about 12 years.

With the World Championships coming up, getting into the shop at such an early time is a necessity. The kids, being as devoted as they are, do not leave until almost midnight every day.

Sacrificing his Saturdays to work with students from 10 in the morning all the way to midnight is something that very few people would be willing to do; yet, he always pulls it off with a smile on his face. Even after long grueling work days and practices, he says, “They make this easy. It’s a pleasure working with them.”

Sometimes, though, the robotics shop has a much more serious tone than its typical upbeat mood. By focusing more on deadlines and the upcoming competitions, the mood of the room remains much more focused than the typical

work-while-having-fun zone.

With four Haverford teams having qualified for the world championships, the real competition is about to begin. All the greatest teams gather at one competition. There can be only one alliance— two teams—that win it all. Over 500 teams split into six divisions will make winning quite the challenge. But with an incredible mentor and an extremely devoted team, The Cavalry have a good shot at the championship.

After over one hundred qualification matches, three of the four Calvary teams make it into the elimination round of their division. After a tough bracket for the remaining Haverford teams, one is able to successfully win their division and effectively become one of the top six teams in the World.

With everyone cheering at their backs, Fourth Former Noah Rubien says, “Great job making it into the dome!” The final Haverford team claims 4th place out of 500 best in the world. And at

The four teams that went to Robotics Worlds with Canavati.

long last, the nine month robotics season comes to a close. But with next year’s game revealed, some students already begin thinking about new robot designs.

Once the robotics season is over, “when it’s sunny out I try to play tennis,” says Canavati. “I stay pretty in touch with other robotics programs, I do little fun projects outside of this. I’ll be competing in a work competition where you have to design a robot for a specific task. So I keep myself occupied with stuff like that.”

Although it seems like he always has robotics and engineering on his mind, Canavati “also [runs] a little side business [in] real estate.” The array of Canavati’s hobbies does not quite end there and it probably never will.

INTEL CHEN ’19

Page 8

ROUTINE ONE: The time is 5:45 a.m.

Tap-tap-tap. The wooden floor shifts back and forth. The only person awake in the pitch black carefully maneuvers her way through the room.

Her focus is on one thing: getting close to her father. Once she reaches the bed, four-year-old Clare Keefe settles in next to her dad. On most mornings, Clare serves as the family alarm clock.

“One of the great privileges of being a father is seeing my four year-old patting my head as my wake-up call,” said English teacher Mr. Daniel Keefe.

After his shower, Mr. Keefe heads over to the coffee maker to brew his morning cup. It is his first of seven or eight for the day. By the time he is out the door at 7:15 a.m., Clare falls back to sleep.

“I know that it’s not going to last forever, but there’s something very special about being a dad and having that moment with my daughter,” Mr. Keefe said.

ROUTINE TWO: The time is 5:30 a.m.

Mr. Keefe rises out of bed before the sun rises.

He throws on his athletic gear and tightens the laces on his running sneakers. Then he packs his formal apparel and sets off to school for a morning workout.

“I love to start the day that way, and while I would like to say that happens every single week, some weeks I’m more tired than others,” says Mr. Keefe.

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May 2018

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. DAN KEEFE

Throughout his adolescent years, the Keefe family lived in ten different states. Eventually, the Keefe family settled down in Cincinnati, Ohio during his sophomore year of high school. In college, Mr. Keefe transferred from the University of Iowa to Wake Forest University.

“Wake Forest was a wonderful opportunity and a great school,” says Mr. Keefe. “I got to take a class with Maya Angelou, which was seminal and groundbreaking for me. She was an amazing poet who changed the way that I thought about words and language.”

Mr. Keefe has always loved soccer. His passion for the game goes beyond his years of coaching experience at Haverford.

“I had been playing soccer all throughout the first part of my life. I played club soccer at the University of Iowa, which was looking at expanding and becoming a Division-I program, so it was exciting to play with upper level players,” said Mr. Keefe. “When I came to Wake Forest, I took a look at walking on Wake Forest soccer, who were the reigning national champions.

“After the first day of playing, I realized it was time to hang up the boots for real and focus on something else.”

Giving back to the community is a priority for the Keefe family.

“Both of my parents volunteered in Mexico for three years; my sister went to the Marshall Islands for two years; and my brother volunteered in Baltimore through a program called the Capuchin

Mr. Keefe and his daughter Clare.

MS. EILEEN KEEFE

Mr. Keefe at the 2001 Hadaka Matsuri Festival in Konomiya,

Franciscan Volunteer Corps,” said Mr. Keefe.

Mr. Keefe has always had a passion for teaching. His first offer came from Saint Frances Academy, a second-chance school in the inner city of Baltimore. The teaching position was associated with the AmeriCorps, the Corporation for National and Community Service, which engages more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year.

“I ended up going to meet with Sister John Francis, and she said, ‘the children of Baltimore need you.’”

Mr. Keefe experienced many great moments in Baltimore, but perhaps none were as impactful as his story with a student named Gerald Brown.

Gerald was six-foot three with tattoos running up his arms. A couple days after prom, he walked into Mr. Keefe’s class still dressed in his prom clothes. He made a huge scene and was being disruptive, so Mr. Keefe kicked him out from the class.

At the end of the school day, Brown came back and talked to Mr. Keefe about his struggles.

“It just changed me in a lot of ways. It made me realize that my students lived lives outside of the educational experience that directly affected who they could be in school but then also inside of the world that surrounded them. This moment hooked me about being a teacher.”

Not only did Mr. Keefe improve his students

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. DAN KEEFE

as writers, but he also improved them as people.

Cursing was a huge problem within school walls at Saint Frances, and Mr. Keefe saw the importance of shifting this culture. He implemented the “Cuss Bus,” which was a wooden object that held coins. Everytime a student cursed, he or she had to put twenty-five cents into the bus. At first, kids reacted angrily to the “Cuss Bus,” and there was an aura of irritation in the room. Soon though, the kids began to adapt and buy into the idea of punishment for bad language.

“I had my first drawing for the ‘Cuss Buss,’ which had grown to like seventy five dollars, at the end of the first quarter. I pulled a name out of the hat of a student who hadn’t cursed and her name was Kirby Harot. Her face lit up in excitement and it was like the greatest day ever for her.

The kids consistently worked on cursing because they wanted to win the money,” says Mr. Keefe.

The idea of traveling the world has always intrigued Mr. Keefe. After he decided to move on from Saint Frances, he turned his goal into reality.

“I took a job teaching ESL, English as a second language, to Japanese speakers in Japan for a year. The company that I worked for was called NOVA,” says Mr. Keefe. “It was a pretty terrible experience, but my time in Japan opened my eyes to a whole new culture and it ended up serving me well in the future.”

Page 9 It’s 9:06 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. Sitting in the back corner of the library, where nobody ever hangs out, hunched over a small silver Chromebook is Sixth Former Miska Abrahams.

Class on Wednesdays starts at 9:00 a.m. Luckily, he has free first period, not that he would care about being late anyway.

“I don’t really see the big deal about being late or tardy, whichever you want to call it,” explains Abrahams, “because I’m here now, so like, what’s up?”

His focus this morning is constant. He never takes his eyes off the small twelve-inch computer screen with the brightness all the way down to preserve the battery. His large fingers look out of place tapping away furiously on the small keyboard. What’s he doing? Finishing an essay he started only 20 minutes earlier for his English class. It’s due next period.

Though he has never done homework in his life, he always manages to turn in stellar work. His best stuff is always produced by simply winging it.

This is a scenario Abrahams has been in countless times over his six years at Haverford. Now a Sixth Former, one might think he would have grown out of his old habits. But, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

After he finishes his essay, Abrahams stands up quickly, shoves his computer in his black Jansport backpack, which has old tests still stuck in the zippers, tucks in his shirt displaying a garish gold belt with an enormous buckle, and hurries off to assembly.

“It’s a Ferragamo belt. I guarantee your favorite rapper has one just like it,” he explains to a group of friends sitting in the second row of the school auditorium right before the assembly starts. A debate breaks out when a fellow student claims his favorite rapper would never wear such a belt. Abrahams whips out his trusty iPhone X with Batman as his lock screen and opens Google.

He’s fond of superheroes and loves Anime video games, too; and even though Batman is his lock screen, Spider-Man is his “role model.”

“I think his powers are just enough, but not like, too much. He doesn’t have super speed or super strength because he doesn’t really need those; he’ll outsmart you regardless,” Abrahams says.

A series of several thorough Google searches later, and Abrahams produces an image of said rapper wearing the exact same Ferragamo belt: debate won.

Today’s assembly is a talk with famed journalist Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down.

Abrahams, a self-proclaimed writer and poet, is fast asleep within minutes. Several attempts from friends and teachers alike are not enough to wake him for more than a few minutes during the talk with Bowden.

It’s nothing personal; Abrahams thoroughly disdains most school assemblies. He says, “[assemblies] are real impersonal and lack depth, so I just use them as my built-in nap time.”

His demeanor in class later that day, however, is the polar opposite. Sitting slouched over in English, after turning in his freshly-written paper, Abrahams fidgets with a yellow number-two pencil lined with teeth marks and is not only awake but engaged. Rattling off insightful comments on topics ranging from homophobia in the black community to the importance of motherhood on young children.

Though his powers are often under the radar, much like Spider-Man, he uses his gifts when necessary to get the job done. Abrahams is a quiet straight-A student when he wants to be, with a penchant for technology. Some days though, he prefers to goof off on his phone rather than actually participate in the lesson, much to the detriment of his peers, who can learn a great deal from him.

“School teaches you only how to do the stuff that’s been done before. School teaches you how to make money and be basic, not how to be a person,” Abrahams says.

Instead of school, Abrahams prefers “seeing the homies” and listening to music, though he does enjoy a few of his classes.

“I like English and art because there are conflicting views points and creativity. I like controversy, I like arguing,” he says. He also likes Molecular Biology, one of the hardest classes the school offers.

Don’t let his dislike for school make you think he is opposed to learning new things, because he isn’t. Abrahams truly believes that “you can learn anything from anyone at any time, even someone who is not conventionally ‘smart’ or as ‘smart’ as you are, whatever that means.”

“To be honest, the only reason you need grades or anything like that is to make people do the work. Classes like math need grades, but more subjective classes like English don’t need grades, because how can someone’s opinion ever really be

The Index - Features

wrong?”

It’s questions like that which set Abrahams apart from the norm. He asks the hard questions about things that are often overlooked. While everyone else around him stresses about the college process and test scores, Abrahams remains “bool, balm, and bollected,” as he always does in the face of pressure or adversity.

“There’s way too much pressure on kids to do well nowadays, and when they don’t rise to the occasion, it can often lead to negative things like depression,” something Abrahams has seen happen all too many times.

“See me,” says Abrahams, “I’m smart enough to where I can take enough tests and still do well.

My GPA ain’t perfect, but I’m doing well enough for my standards.”

That’s all he has to say on the topic of school.

By the end of the day, he is all too exhausted from the rigorous academics and doesn’t want to think about it any longer.

Before he leaves school, he makes a stop by the locker room to get his charger back from a friend.

He hasn’t been to the locker room in months. Yes, he is a 6’ 3’’ black man, but no, he does not play basketball or any other sport for that matter. He tried his hand at wrestling but gave it up a few years ago when his favorite coach left.

Nonetheless, he holds sports and more specifically athletes in high regard.

“Sports are great, wish I was more committed to them, but that being said, I don’t care. I had fun in high school still. I commend athletes though; it gives you a great work ethic and people just like you if you’re athletic, which is great,” Abrahams says. “It also gives people who may not be as intelligent an avenue to express themselves, not to say athletes aren’t smart, but it shows that you can excel at more than one thing.”

“Like those guys that are both really smart and get to a bucket in their sport; they are amazing.”

It’s now 3:22 and the locker room is flooded with kids getting ready for practice, and despite not having been in the locker in months or played a sport in years, Abrahams is right at home.

He begins dancing emphatically in a crowd of lacrosse players all dressed in gold game uniforms and cleats. Abrahams stands out in his grey knit blazer and untied canvas Vans sneakers. Nonetheless, he is effortlessly spitting raps and high-fiving anyone who walks by.

“Damn, I missed the locker room,” he says with a big smile revealing his distinct dimples.

Next, the lacrosse players form a line and begin sniffing smelling salts as part of their pre-game ritual, and Abrahams is right in line with them.

When it’s his turn to do the smelling salts, his head jerks back, his eyes water as his body shutters from the shock, and he lets out a big laugh. The smelling salts gave him a big head rush, but when asked if he would do them again, the answer was, of course, “Yes.” Abrahams is arguably the only member of the Haverford community with the unique ability to fit in seamlessly in every single circle at the school.

How does he do it?

“Empathy. If you can genuinely figure out why people do what they do or feel what they feel,” answers Abrahams, “it becomes real easy to jump in and do it right along with them.”

“You just have to genuinely care about them.”

Once Abrahams leaves the locker room, still a little dazed from the smelling salts, he climbs into his car, a silver Volkswagen Passat that he’s had for just over a year. He’s very fond of his car, often referring to it has his “baby.”

Shifting gears into reverse, ready to finally leave school, he pauses. He can’t drive without his music. Putting on his favorite SoundCloud playlist called “Independent Artists,” all systems are now a go, and he is on the streets whipping in and out of after-school traffic.

As he drives with one hand on the wheel, he

May 2018

Miska Abrahams ’18 in a state of peace.

uses the other to dance along with the beat as he sings each song as they come on, never missing a word.

“I just wannna live my lifeeee and I swear everything is just finee,” he croons as if he were performing live on stage.

At red lights or even while he drives, he sends Snapchats to friends and scrolls through his infamous Tumblr page, all the while brushing his beloved curly black hair forward. Don’t tell him he’s not foreign. Ethnically, Abrahams describes himself has a black, Irish, native American Jamaican — quite the combination.

As he changes lanes on the packed Lancaster Avenue, he looks for a new song to play, barely glancing at the road. Abrahams has no fear of crashing, claiming, “Bro, on Baby the only time I’ve ever crashed while driving was when I was looking at the road.”

Driving skills aside, he makes it to his destination, a small apartment in the heart of Radnor, picking up close friend Amelia on the way.

“This is the hood of Radnor,” he exclaims, pointing at the apartment complex. “All the fun stuff happens here.”

The hood, as he calls it, is conveniently located directly behind the Radnor police station, but Abrahams and company are surely not afraid of the law.

After several loud knocks, the apartment door is swung open by a guy with the nappiest of nappy hair and a big grin wearing a gaming headset with a controller in hand — Abrahams’ best friend Isaiah. The two friends greet each other with their signature handshake, which consists of various different grips and snaps, and then Isaiah proceeds to go back to his game as Abrahams and Amelia sit down on the already crowded couch.

Miska and close friends at their apartment in Wayne.

MR. ISAIAH COATES

In total, there are seven people in the small apartment, all lounging on the couch watching Isaiah yell at the TV and kill people in the riveting game Fortnite. These are Abrahams’ people. His family, not by blood but might as well be.

The scene is one of love and relaxation, as endless jokes fly and Fortnite is eventually exchanged for NBA 2K and the crew begins discussing the cinematic genius of the 2016 film Moonlight.

In the middle of it all, Abrahams gets a phone call from his mother and instantaneously switches into his imitation of a British accent, something he has been using off and on for months now.

After the call is over, his demeanor is noticeably different. He has just been informed that he and his mother will be evicted from their apartment this month. When asked why he uses the British accent, he says, “It’s my greatest coping mechanism.”

“It helps me escape myself. Escape the problems of Miska. I can be the person I look up to or wish to be.”

Moments after the phone call, he is seemingly back to his normal self, entrenched in a heated game of NBA 2K, shouting good-natured obscenities at Isaiah as Michael Jordan drains a threepointer. To describe his current mental state, he cites rapper Lil Wayne’s lyrics, “Just to keep from crying, I laugh.”

After observing Miska Abrahams, it is clear that he uses a variety of coping skills; however, none as powerful as his ability to live in the moment.

“I do some cool things, I do some different things,” says Abrahams, “but at the end of the day, I’m really just a normal buhl.”

NICO TELLEZ ’18

Page 10

The Index - Arts

May 2018

Spotlight: Arts

“Portrait with Screws”

by Will Clark ‘19.

PHOTOS BY INDEX STAFF

“Hive” by Ms. Erin Byrne.

“Skull Skateboards” by Grey Rumain ‘18.

Guitar Kit by David Aspinall ‘18.

Page 11

The Index - Arts

May 2018

s Festival 2018

“Carving Tool” by Andrew Tornetta ‘20.

The 2018 Arts Festival ran from May 2-18 in Wilson Hall’s Durham Community Room. In addition to the artwork of featured artist Tom Booth ’02, the exhibit featured works by Haverford alumni, students, and family members.

“Self Portrait” by Mike Schlarbaum ‘18.

“Blue Drip” by Will Clark ’19.

“Anonymity” by Tyler Rippie ‘20.

Page 12

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May 2018

Students digging in to current events lunch MATT SCHWARTZ ’21

MR. TIM LENGEL

Students of all Forms discuss current events in a roundtable format.

Once every rotation on E day, several students eagerly await to be dismissed for lunch, but not for blackjack chicken or noodle bowl. While most go to the cafeteria to eat, these students quietly slip into room 246 and discuss current events of the past week.

Hosted by history teachers Mr. Brian Long and Mr. Timothy Lengel, the current events lunch has been thriving since January and will soon finish its inaugural semester.

After noticing a form overlap in their Sixth Form electives, Mr. Long and Mr. Lengel presumed other students besides Sixth Formers want to discuss current events. Mr. Lengel said, “We felt that outside of our two elective courses…

there would be a greater thirst for this kind of activity from the general student population.”

At the beginning of each meeting, students seize the opportunity to present an engaging topic; after throwing around a couple ideas, they quickly vote on a starting topic.

Topics range from Villanova University winning March Madness to President Trump’s military strikes in Syria, but they lean more towards politics.

“We don’t expect the kids to come in and understand what’s happening around the world,” said Mr. Long, “but we as a group will learn about it together.”

One of the strengths of having an organized

time to speak and learn about different events in the world is that students get to hear everyone’s perspective in a civil manner, so less popular opinions are not pushed aside “The idea is to get people talking to one another,” said Mr. Lengel. “Here are different viewpoints on the politics and news of the day and here’s how this all ties to some other event.”

Some topics stir up tensions more than others, often drawing bigger crowds. Mr. Lengel reminisced about one of the more controversial and divisive topics, adding, “Our biggest lunch was the one right after the Parkland shooting.

“I was a little nervous about going to that one actually. [The] discussion and debate around

gun culture can pretty quickly get difficult, but I was really impressed how respectful students were with one another, how diverse the opinions in the crowd were,” Mr. Lengel said.

There’s no limit to what students learn at the current events lunch: many students are not even aware some of the topics discussed are happening.

Students with any interest in stopping by and joining the discussion are encouraged to attend the lunch in room 246 on E days. The current events lunch will continue next year despite the new schedule change.

“I learn something new about the world and my peers every week,” Fourth Former Vincent Scauzzo said.

Soft Robotics gives a hand to Ceramics program TOBY MA ’20 A program founded only last year, the soft robotics team has received many accolades. The team’s achievements have even caught the attention of scientists and engineers from top university laboratories. With the school year ending soon, what’s next for Haverford soft robotics?

The soft robotics team has launched head-first into its next project, in partnership with ceramics teacher Mr. Jacob Raeder. In the classroom in the far corner of the library, students are hunched over tables, carving casts for actuators. X-Acto knives cut into the foam, shavings littering the table. A student displays the finished product, an exact replica of a 3D-printed model of the cast.

Head of Robotics Mrs. Holly Golecki promises that this project will be a “completely different application of last year’s ‘edible’ robots.”

“We’re working on building an assistive device for training students in art,” she explains, as she carved out a newly-created actuator from its mold. “[Mr. Raeder] explained to us that when you’re training a new artist, there are a lot of nuanced

hand motions and pressures that are applied that are difficult to teach,” says Mrs. Golecki. “So we’re going to build a device we can use to convey his nuanced hand motions directly to a student’s hand using a soft robotic glove. “[We’re] working out some new techniques for developing these actuators [for the glove] and some new methods to control it.”

“So, new controls, new actuators, all towards… lessening the learning curve required for students to produce art here at the school.”

The inspiration for this project came when Mr. Raeder chaperoned for the Haverford VEX Robotics team last year as they went to the Worlds competition in Louisville, Kentucky. “[Mr. Raeder and I] got to talking about soft robotics, because at that time that project was ramping up,” recalls Mrs. Golecki, “…and he started mentioning how he had seen people doing electrical stimulation from one person to another.”

“He was saying that that would be a cool technique to use for training students… but probably

Student learning proper hand placement in ceramics creation.

MRS. HOLLY GOLECKI

not appropriate to do to high school students. So he got to saying, ‘Oh, maybe you could build this soft robotic glove that someone could wear and you could program it to have the same hand motions as [me].’”

The soft robotics team is turning that idea into reality. They plan to finish the project by midJune to make the submission deadline for the Soft Robotics Design Competition. Afterward, the team will prepare an abstract in mid-July to submit to the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting.

“The Fall Meeting always happens in Boston, Massachusetts, so it’s a little bit closer than Arizona, where we went in the spring,” says Mrs. Golecki. “We’d like to see an abstract there [and] have the opportunity to present again at that conference because I think it was a really good experience for students to get to interact with experts in the field who are doing this work fulltime.”

After a year of success, the soft robotics team has attracted many newcomers.

“I would say we have a fair amount of new students,” Mrs. Golecki says. “Some of our VEX roboticists came onto the team this year, which I’m really excited about because their work ethic and dedication are really what we value in this program and what’s necessary for success.”

Meanwhile, the Sixth Formers have mostly moved on from soft robotics. Sixth Former Matthew Baumholtz currently edits the wiki, the “final submission for the competition,” for the team and acts in an “advisory role.” Baumholtz and Sixth Former Xavi Segel will work in a soft robotics lab at George Mason University over the summer.

With the seniors gone, the new project is spearheaded by able underclassmen. The team even has “three students from the middle school who are on [the team’s] programming efforts for the controls of [the] system.”

Mrs. Golecki looks for creativity and dedication in the soft robotics students.

“I look for lots of different types of people because we have to write a wiki,” she notes. “We have to document, create a video, and [photograph]. We have to do programming…We have

MRS. HOLLY GOLECKI

Mr. Raeder describes the potential for a robotic glove.

to make the actual actuators…and then we also need to incorporate those actuators into a glove.”

“And obviously we’re doing this with a ceramics teacher so people who have some sort of a passion for art…and can understand a little bit about the process that we’re trying to replicate.”

The soft robotics team will undoubtedly face many obstacles in their newest undertaking; after all, it is difficult to surpass such a successful inaugural year. However, the team is committed to pushing the limit of their ingenuity.

The bar is set, and the soft robotics team is ready to fly above it.

Page 13

The Index - Opinions

Sixth Form exams, only for a few WILL HENDERSON ’18

May 2018

New Honor Code offers little change COLE STECKER ’20

May, second semester. School is winding down and as seniors begin to leave for their projects, Haverford’s seemingly timeless debate comes up once again: should seniors take spring exams?

And, though the school will almost certainly not listen to me, I will do my best to show the flaws in a system that makes pretty much no sense.

To be clearer, the question should not even be “should seniors take spring exams?” It should be, “should the school give second-semester seniors at least somewhat of an incentive to do well?” Right now, as has been the case for the past several years, all seniors have to take some sort of final examination for each of their classes. With most members of the Sixth Form knowing where they will attend college by early to mid-April, school suddenly becomes an afterthought. The bottom line, for all seniors, is that in the second semester, they only have to do well enough to maintain their admission status at their selected college. There is, therefore, no incentive for seniors to do well in school.

Several years ago, seniors had one other incentive: if they maintained around a “B” or “B+” average, they would not have to take their final exam in that class. This clearly could curb some of the proverbial “senioritis” people so often complain of because students would actually have some sort of goal or motivation to do well.

Yes, giving final exams probably does give a more realistic simulation of what college will be like, but when the school year is cut short by an entire month, when grades really don’t matter

that much, and when there is no incentive to do well in the class, there is almost no benefit of giving such a cumulative test. On top of all of that, by the time a student is in his last semester of high school, he will have already taken about thirtyfive midterm and final exams in Upper School alone, so throwing a few more at him a month before he graduates — and a few days before he goes on a month-long “sabbatical” — probably won’t make much of a difference in his future academic endeavors.

As I said before, even after all of this, the school probably will not listen to me because I, as many others have done before, am making the same argument for the nth year in a row. The school, in response, will give the same tired response that seniors should take school seriously no matter what (which any normal person knows they will not), that Haverford is preparing students for college (even though all of these students are into college), and that classes should not be so transactional (although the only roadblock between maintaining admission at a college or not is having good grades to finish the year).

Many, if not all, seniors have taken school seriously for three and a half years. If the school wants them to continue to take it seriously, then it has no other choice but to provide them with some incentive to continue working hard and get rid of a system that has shown year after year after year that it has many more drawbacks than benefits.

School making progress on vaping CHRISTIAN SHAH ’20 We all know about it, hear about it, or know a friend who has battled it, yet some still don’t even acknowledge it as a real problem.

“It,” of course, is vaping.

But before I share my opinions on vaping and the school’s progress in preventing the epidemic, I’ll share a quick story.

It was a few months ago — I was walking by a gas station in Villanova, on a rainy day, when I was unexpectedly asked a question by a younger teenager: “Hey, can you go in there and buy me some Juul pods?” I just laughed, told him I was sorry, but I couldn’t. I wanted to get out of this heavy rain to my car. He began pestering me with questions, and telling me that I looked old enough to go in and get them. At some point, I wished him luck with getting his pods and just proceeded to head to my car.

After getting out of the rain, I took a moment to think about what I just experienced. This smaller, younger boy was so persistent to get his pods. He stood out in the pouring rain, asking strangers whether they could go into a gas station and buy these pods for him. He couldn’t have been older than thirteen, yet he was already evidently hooked on a drug. Is this normal behavior?

I began gathering data. I remembered first hearing about it towards the latter part of last year, and how, in a couple months, it had essentially skyrocketed to becoming a norm. I then remembered the assembly we had, where Mr. Green and Dr. Nagl spoke about this new potential problem and warned students of consequences from the school, and more importantly their own health.

It was wise of those two to mention how it was such a new thing, and that we as a whole were still unsure what could be hidden in these new vapes.

Immediately after that assembly, some quit just days later, realizing that it’s not worth the potential discipline and health concerns. Still, a large

majority of the kids were unconvinced by these precautions and thought of it more as a “Don’t get caught” kind of situation.

My next memory of the school’s effort to prevent vaping would be Coach Vanni’s Fourth Form Health Class. During our drugs and alcohol unit, my class spent an entire day learning about vaping, the ingredients in vapor chemicals, and health side effects. We were informed about some of the unknown ingredients in these vapes, including a high quantity of nicotine, and possibly some obscure drugs, such as different kinds of “horse tranquilizers.”

I legitimately felt worried for my peers. I used to think it was stupid how kids could get hooked, but hearing about the dangers in that class convinced me that it was indeed a problem — an extremely dangerous one.

The final part of my research was an interview with a classmate, a former vaper. Fortunately, he had recovered. He told me that like many others, he started vaping this past summer when just about everyone else began. He wasn’t ever fully addicted but admittedly used it for about nine months before quitting.

I asked him why he had quit when so many others had failed to do the same. He told me, “Because it wasn’t worth it. Putting all these chemicals in my body, just to feel good for no more than two minutes, just doesn’t make sense.”

Some of his friends who vaped were more eager to quit after being informed of the rumors about how dangerous it could be health wise. Finally, I asked him if from his perspective on vaping had gone down among Haverford students. “Definitely, after some of the health rumors came out, especially the cancer one, it went down. But once everybody stopped believing that one, it did go back up. As a whole though, there were probably twice as many Juulers back in October than there are today,” he said.

It is no secret here at The Haverford School that the new Honor Code changes have split the student body. The question I and many other students ponder is, “Why?” Why did the Honor Council decide to make these changes, which in their own words, “change nothing.” Personally, I subscribe to the, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Nothing was seemingly wrong with the old Honor Code, and it seemed like the Honor Council itself did not even know why it was changing it.

I voted “no” because of the contrasting and conflicting ideas presented to us during assembly. I voted “no” because the changes seemed so insignificant that the cost of printing new posters for each classroom would be reason enough to drop the whole thing. I voted “no” because I was hoping for so much more.

On one hand, we were being told that 100 years from now, future students will remember us for the amazing things we had achieved, then, on the other hand, we were being told that it changes absolutely nothing and that we should vote in favor of the change just because. And their angle worked.

Many students, when asked about their vote, said they voted yes because it didn’t change anything, or that they didn’t care either way. No one that I asked voted “yes” because it was a muchneeded reform to our aging Honor Code; they all voted “yes” for abstract reasons that hold little merit. For many of these reasons, I voted “no.”

I voted “no” because of the contrasting and conflicting ideas presented to us during assembly. I voted “no” because the changes seemed so insignificant that the cost of printing new posters for each classroom would be reason enough to drop the whole thing. I voted “no” because I was hoping for so much more. I was hoping for some new clauses that would reform our aged Honor Council and adapt it to our new school norms. I voted “no” not to be a rebellious teen who opposes change, but because I was hoping for change, real change that we did not get in this new Honor Code.

During the assembly, we heard from two Sixth Form members of the Honor Council and their speeches seemed to contradict each other.

To me, his very last sentence says it all. There has absolutely been a decrease in vapers since when it was at its peak. So to finally answer the question, “Has the school made any progress on it’s ‘vaping’ messaging?” I believe it has, no doubt.

Haverford did a great job of informing students about the health concerns rather than prioritizing disciplinary actions.

So to that, I applaud the likes of Mr. Green, Dr. Nagl, and Mr. Fifer, as well as all of the other faculty members who did a good job treating the boys like adults, providing them the data, and then letting them decide for themselves. In my opinion, that’s the best way to go about most problems.

Page 14

The Index - Politics

May 2018

weak, senile man. Of late, however, the only words exchanged between the W h i t e Ho u s e and the K i m administration have been words of friendliness.

On May 12, Trump commende d Kim,

gesture.”

Trump’s strategy of peacemaking faced high levels of scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans alike. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told panelists in an August 2017 conference that “this guy [Trump] is making bellicose threats against somebody else who has very little to lose over there...” adding that Kim was “acting more responsible than this guy [Trump] is.”

Given that Trump is now reaping the rewards of his tactics, the response to his advances has changed. Eighteen House Republicans signed a letter in order to “respectfully nominate President Donald J. Trump to win the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.” Senator Rand Paul is another supporter of the Trump for Nobel campaign. “That would really be a real Nobel Peace Prize, not like the fake one we gave to the last president,” said Paul in an interview with The Washington Post. “That would be a real Nobel Peace Prize if we got a real, meaningful peace with North Korea.”

Trump’s fiery style of diplomacy came in stark contrast to Former President Barack Obama’s policy of “strategic patience,” which centered around refusing to make deals with North Korea in the name of defusing tensions. However, tensions between the South and the North actually increased because of the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.

Although Trump’s heated methodology drew ire from critics and continues to offend those who do not believe he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in North Korea, many claim that the ends more than justify the means. Rory Cooper, a managing director at Purple Strategies, told The Washington Post that critics need to “separate tactics from outcomes.” And with the full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula on the horizon, the outcome seems to be quite bright.

North Korean conflict comes to a close?

ROBERT ESGRO ‘19 “President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize.” These words, uttered by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, come in response to a months-long global effort for peace that culminated in an Inter-Korean Summit on April 27, 2018.

The Trump administration has led a global effort to place diplomatic pressure on North Korea, via sanctions and even threats, all designed with the intention of forcing the nation to stop testing nuclear weapons.

According to a Blue House official, Moon was told by the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung that he deserved the coveted prize for his efforts to bring an end to the Korean conflict. Moon responded by telling her and the press that it was not he, but United States President Donald Trump who deserved the award.

The Trump administration has led a global effort to place diplomatic pressure on North Korea, via sanctions and even threats, all designed with the intention of forcing the nation to stop testing nuclear weapons. However, it seems now that Trump has achieved this and more. With the signing of the Panmunjom Declaration, Trump has succeeded where presidents for decades have fallen short: the Korean War, after almost 68 years, is coming to an official end.

The path to peace was a turbulent one. Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un exchanged angry words over the course of the past year over North Korea’s nuclear missile program, which Kim claimed was capable of reaching the United States. One of the more notable squabbles that

Trump and Jong-Un were engaged was one in which Trump called Kim “ro c k e t m a n ” and informed t h e global community that if North Korea engaged in any militarily provocative

moves, t h e y would be met with American “fire and fury.”

Kim responded by calling Trump a “dotard,” an arcane term used to describe a

thanking him for his peaceful cooperation and telling him that the agreement to denuclearize and come to peace with the South was “a very smart and gracious

OPPASHI VIA WIKIMEDIA

Students unlikely to vote Pennsylvania primaries AGUSTIN ALIGAGA ’21 Throughout the month of May, primaries all around the country will take place, including federal, for positions like the Senate and the House of Representatives, and state elections, for positions including the state legislature and governor.

A primary election is one in which voters decide which candidates are best fit to represent their party for the general election in November.

In Pennsylvania, one Senate seat and every Congressional seat in the Commonwealth is up for grabs, making these elections some of the most important in decades.

An important demographic candidates will have to convince is that of young voters. Trends suggest that there has been a clear decrease in student voting and primary participation. In 2014, the writer D.K. wrote for The Economist that in the 2010 midterm elections, only 21% of people ages 18 to 24 came out to vote. He believes that this is a growing problem and is getting worse.

D.K. also examined a 2008 European study that found that over one-fifth of French youth from ages 15 to 24 thought the only way to make a real change in their societies was by revolution.

However, the same study conducted in 1990 had found that only 7% of this same audience found

this to be true. The study, he claims, shows how the new generations have undermined the power of democracy and their power to vote.

D.K.’s explanation for this lack of interest is that “young people today do not feel they have much of a stake in society.”

Sixth Form eligible voter Xavi Segel agrees.

“Most people don’t vote because they don’t care about politics and easily dismiss any vestige of guilt by claiming inconsequentiality,” said Segel.

Tyler Campbell also agrees, saying that students do not vote simply because “they believe that their vote doesn’t matter.”

These polls directly respond to another of Campbell’s points about student voting: “They feel like they are not being represented well by Congress. … They feel that one individual vote doesn’t matter or that there’s not a need.”

Government and Politics teacher Mr. Tim Lengel stands in dissent, feeling there is no need to point fingers at the younger generation. “Most Americans don’t vote in primaries. According to the Brookings Institution, most congressional primaries are lucky to see 7% of the voting-eligible population participate. It’s not about age; almost no one votes,” said Lengel.

The laser-like feed from Garno to Malone, who scored on the crease, won the game for the Fords and sealed the title of undefeated regular season champions. Malone says the team has a new goal: the playoffs.

“Going undefeated in the Inter-Ac regular season is great, but unfortunately it doesn’t mean

anything,” said Malone. “The outcome of the playoffs is what is going to crown the true InterAc champion. These next two games are the biggest of the season so we need to forget about our regular-season performance and prepare for the playoffs which is like a two-game season.”

The win over EA certainly helped, he added.

WIKIMEDIA

Lacrosse championship, cont.

“We have a lot of momentum from the regular season that we need to bring to the playoffs,” Malone said.

The Inter-Ac Challenge will take place from May 15-21. May 15 marks the start of the first round, taking place at Penn Charter. The Fords earn a first-round bye, as does second-seeded

Malvern Prep. The semi-finals will take place at Cabrini University’s Edith Robb Dixon Field on May 18. The Fords will face the winner of the Episcopal Academy/Germantown Academy matchup.

Page 15

The Index - Sports

May 2018

Crew closes season with hard-fought City Championships NELSON LIU ‘19

Last year’s Varsity Four boat in action.

On May 5th and 6th, the crew team entered championship season with a strong showing at Philadelphia City Championships. Building off success in March and April at the Manny Flick regattas, the Fords entered ten events on a weekend which would be characterized by one gold, one silver, and a host of tight races.

Leading the charge for the Fords was the

Varsity Four, which won a commanding victory to take home the Staff Sergeant A. William Mora Trophy for the first time since 2014. Representing Haverford was Jack Costello ’18, Aidan Leavy ’19, David McKay ’18, Tim Scheuritzel ’18, and Nelson Liu ’19.

The JV Quad of Thomas Russell ’19, Jeffrey Pendergast ’19, novice standout Owen Vanderzwan ’20, and Sebastian Bilash ’20 battled

MR. JIM ROESE

fiercely for a silver medal finish, 1.480 seconds behind Ridgewood. It was one of a slew of agonizingly close races for the Fords. In what was arguably the most exciting race of the day, the JV Four finished third to take home a bronze medal a mere 0.01 seconds behind silver medalists Father Judge; only seven-tenths of a second separated the top three finishers over a 1,500-meter race.

Sitting in the JV Four were Pierce Berkman ’20,

Will Griffiths ’19, Thomas Laporta ’20, Evan Brabson ’20, and Andrew Tornetta ‘20.

The freshman/novice double of Bryson Bernhardt and Carter McCann finished fourth in their final a mere 0.07 seconds behind bronze medal position and 0.08 seconds behind silver medalists Roman Catholic. The Novice Eight also fell victim to a close margin, finishing seventh out of nineteen crews in their Saturday time trial to miss qualifying for Sunday’s final by only 1.200 seconds (the top six qualified). Representing the Fords in the Novice 8+ were Johnny Sonnenfeld ‘20, George Lanchoney ’21, Decker Patterson ’21, Paul Li ’21, Sawyer Hoyt ’20, Josh Case ’20, Brian Williams ’21, Magnus Weissenberger ’21, and Ian Schiavone ’20.

The freshman quad battled down the entire racecourse to finish fourth in their final (Beau Christopher, Sen Zelov, Morgan Shatzman, Henri Waché). Sophomore Yan Graf rowed exceptionally well in Saturday’s time trials to qualify as the fifth seed for Sunday’s JV single final. He finished fifth in the final against a field of many older and more experienced competitors.

With City Championships over and many of the younger rowers having fallen short of medals by such close margins, the team now shifts its focus to preparing with renewed determination for the Stotesbury Cup Regatta on May 17-18 and SRAA Nationals on May 25-26.

With a strong underclassmen squad and a promising eighth grade group, the crew team’s long-term goals extend not only to city and national titles but also on a return to Henley Royal Regatta in England by either 2020 or 2021 (one of the most prestigious regattas in the world, Haverford returned to Henley for the first time since 1997 last summer in the Varsity 8).

“The coaches are extremely impressed with the progress of the team overall,” Head Coach Jonathan Stephanik said. “We have asked several sophomores and even novices to step up in our championship regattas, and they are doing so and having good success.”

Focusing on one play at a time: baseball seeks perfection JONNY FLIEDER ’21 The month of May brings warm weather and exciting high school baseball. Led by Sixth Form co-captains Isaiah Winikur and Justin Meyer, the Fords entered May full of confidence and hope to finish the season strong.

The team recently held their annual “Striking Out Breast Cancer” event, raising more than $3,000. Highlights from the doubleheader included complete game shutouts from Sixth Former Tommy Bagnell and Fifth Former Sam Chase in a sweep of Devon Prep and Penncrest respectively. On Alumni Weekend, the team rallied from an early deficit to defeat Conestoga 16-5 behind Jesse Goldman’s grand-slam.

Meyer reached several milestones this past month, recording his 100th career hit on a solo home run against Penn Charter and 100 RBI’s.

For these accomplishments, he was named Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week. Meyer acknowledged the achievement but remains focused on the team as a whole. He said, “Reaching one hundred hits was something very special because it has been a goal of mine since freshman year, but we need to move on and focus on the games at hand.”

The only concern for the Fords has been their ability to win tight games. After close losses to Bonner (9-8), Episcopal Academy (2-0), and Penn Charter (10-8), Meyer said, “It’s frustrating not being able to take over the close games and go that extra mile to get the wins. I definitely think our team is very talented, but we just need

to be fully focused going into the end of the season and into the state tournament at the end of the month.”

While these close losses were frustrating, they showed that the Fords can hang with the best.

With a deep pitching staff including Bagnell, Fifth Formers Zak Summy and Calvin Costner, and Fourth Former Pat Toal, there is no doubt that the team is capable of making a deep run in

the tournament.

Closing in on the state tournament at the end of May, the Fords look to stay hot and bring home the championship. The Inter-Ac is very strong this year, with perennial powerhouses Malvern Prep, Springside Chestnut Hill and Penn Charter leading the way. It will take a total team effort to win: strong pitching, fielding, and timely hitting.

The Fords have what it takes and are looking to

Done and dusted: A Ford slides into home.

play at their highest level.

The future looks especially bright as the JV team recently enjoyed an eight-game winning streak. Their 5-4 home win over Malvern Prep marked the first time a Haverford JV squad has defeated Malvern in over 20 years. Both teams are competing against and challenging the best in the Inter-Ac: don’t count out Haverford baseball yet.

DR. MICHAEL NANCE

Page 16

The Index - Sports

May 2018

Sixers plan free-agency future MATT LAROCCA ’18

Despite their playoff-series loss in five games against the Boston Celtics on May 9, the media and fans alike continue to praise the drastic turnaround of the Philadelphia 76ers organization during the 2017-2018 season. Securing their first playoff berth since 2012 by winning 52 games, the Sixers improved from last year’s win total of 28. Looking towards the future, the Sixers wish to improve their roster this offseason through the NBA draft, free agency, and trades.

Through the draft, the Sixers select a prospect they wish to develop for future success. Through various signings and trades, the Sixers can add experienced veterans and potentially a superstar to help them approach the “Win-Now” mentality.

Through FA signing or trading to add a star to their roster, the Sixers could better compete with the well-coached Celtics and the reigning Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Various disagreements have surfaced regarding which particular player the Sixers should pursue through trading; an intriguing player the Sixers could potentially add is San Antonio Spurs’ small forward, Kawhi Leonard. As the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 2x All-Star, 4-time All-Defensive team member, and 2015 Steals Leader, Leonard has certainly accomplished a lot in the NBA so far. Unhappy with his current situation with the Spurs after an injury-ridden 2017-2018 season, Leonard will most likely be wearing a different jersey at the start of the 2018-2019 NBA season. At only age

26, Leonard possesses the ability to improve his already-illustrious resume. Presenting defensive support for the three-point heavy Sixers, Kawhi could help lead the Sixers deep into the playoffs and possibly to a championship in the future.

Only a year ago, Kawhi finished third in MVP voting. Many considered him to be a top-five player in the NBA, behind Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and James Harden. But, due to his production on the court throughout the career so far, the Sixers could not acquire Leonard without trading some of their core players/young prospects.

Whether it be Dario Saric, Robert Covington, or Markelle Fultz, at least one, if not all of these players would most likely be included in a Sixers’ Kawhi Leonard trade. It is up to the Sixers organization to determine whether they wish to continue with the process, or embody a “Win-Now” mentality. Also, they must consider Leonard’s desire to play for the city of Philadelphia and the max-contract they will most likely have to pay him in the summer of 2019.

Possessing the defensive influence and playoff experience the Sixers need to compete in the playoffs, many consider Kawhi Leonard to be their best option should they choose to add a star to their roster. With the addition of Leonard, the Sixers organization becomes even more appealing for free agents this summer such as Lebron James and Paul George. This offseason is critical for the 76ers if they want to win now.

Current San Antonio Spurs player Kawhi Leonard in his college days.

S.D. DIRK VIA WIKIMEDIA

King of the continent: Champions League prview YAN GRAF ’20

Student looks up images of Christiano Ronaldo.

INDEX STAFF

Browns bag Baker Mayfield CARTER KARINSHAK ’19 The 2018 NFL draft was surely one to remember. This draft had possibly one of the strongest draft classes for quarterbacks in recent history, including top prospects such as Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson. With all this talent, it was no surprise that the quarterback-hungry team, the Cleveland Browns, picked one up of these quarterbacks.

The Browns, who have not had a winning season since 2007, have been in dire need of a franchise quarterback for several years. However, the Browns may have finally “got their man” in 2018.

With the first pick in the 2018 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns selected top prospect, Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, who was a walk-on at Texas Tech and later played for the Oklahoma Sooners, is notorious throughout the football world not only for his great plays, but also his confident atti-

tude. Boasting a career total of 14,607 yards, 131 touchdowns, and averaging 9.8 yards an attempt is nothing short of amazing. But many people, myself included, still question the Browns’ decision to take Mayfield #1 overall.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Baker Mayfield is a fantastic quarterback. By looking at his college statistics, clearly he has a chance to be a great quarterback in the NFL. But many teams remained uninterested in taking Mayfield so early in the draft largely due to his big ego and temper (although Mayfield’s agent claims the Patriots were interested in trading up to grab him). This lack of interest among other teams to take him within the top #4 picks (Cleveland had picks #1 and #4) leaves many analysts puzzled as to why he was taken at #1 and not at #4.

This confusion among analysts largely stems from the availability of another top prospect in the 2018 draft in running back Saquon Barkley.

Many analysts regarded Barkley as one of the

Once every year, a third of a billion people tune in to watch two of Europe’s best clubs duke it out in the most watched annual sporting event in the world: the Champions League final. In the decisive showdown, Liverpool and Real Madrid will meet in the National Sports Complex (NSC) of Kiev, Ukraine, for a game that will decide who is the king of the continent.

The question is which team is the better one, and the answer is complicated as always. The two have not previously met this season, and both teams have been performing exceedingly well this season.

In Liverpool’s case, the team’s best player, and one they must rely on for any chance to beat Real Madrid, would be Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian striker transferred to Liverpool last summer for 50 million dollars, and his value has nearly doubled in that time. He collected seven player of the month awards during the premier league season.

In 50 appearances for Liverpool, he has scored 43 goals and 15 assists. Blazing past defenders with his lightning pace, he not only has brought Liverpool to the final, but also single-handedly carried Egypt to a World Cup appearance.

Liverpool has also found a reliable forward duo in Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who combined to have 47 goals this season. While only being in fourth, they did manage to knockout premier league champions Manchester City in two wins earlier in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Liverpool also spent 75 million pounds on defender Virgil van Dijk during the winter transfer season, who has helped build up Liverpool’s defense into a formidable barrier for any team.

Liverpool only conceded 12 goals in 13 games after Van Dijk came to them.

But Real Madrid is a tough team to beat. They have won more European Championships than any other club, at 12. They are also coming off of two consecutive champions league titles in the past two years. Their reputation as one the best clubs in the world is holding up as they look to achieve the elusive three-peat Champions league wins.

Cristiano Ronaldo, their star player, has come back from a disappointing first half of the season to become the top-scoring Champions League player. Still, he will be recovering from an ankle injury in the final and may not be in top form. If he is in prime condition, he will be nearly unstoppable. Backed by the deadeye passing from Toni Kroos and the offensive genius of Isco Alarcon, Real Madrid’s offense will be tough to stop.

Defensively, Real Madrid also looks solid. Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal have proven to be a strong defensive line, even though Real Madrid is languishing in a disappointing third right now.

The 2017-2018 season was supposed to be Real Madrid’s year, having their arch-rival Barcelona’s Brazilian superstar Neymar leave and winning both the Champions League and La Liga.

However, while not in the Champions League Final, Real Madrid lost to Barcelona earlier in the season and tied in their most recent matchup.

While they may not have been impressive in the regular season, Real Madrid is a formidable side even at their worst, and have bounced back into a tremendous 2018 run. cont. pg. 18

“safest” picks in the draft, saying that almost anywhere Barkley went would be a great fit. Barkley’s availability, paired with the lack of interest for Mayfield among other teams in the top four, leaves many analysts puzzled with the Browns’ selection of Mayfield at #1 overall. Even if the Browns were unable to get Mayfield at #4 (most likely meaning the Jets had taken him at #3) many analysts believe the best decision still would have been taking Barkley at #1 and waiting to see what quarterbacks were left at #4. This would almost ensure that the Browns would receive a star running back in Barkley and one of the remaining great quarterbacks which could have included Mayfield.

Many analysts agree taking Mayfield #1 overall was a mistake because some don’t believe Mayfield was the best quarterback available in the draft.

While many still believe Mayfield is an amazing quarterback, others think that Sam Darnold was the best available pick. Darnold, who played two

seasons at USC, is largely regarded as being one of the best quarterback prospects in recent years.

Looking at official NFL draft profiles, Darnold is hard to miss with his prospect grade being a 7.00 flat (scaled out of 10) meaning analysts believe he is bound to be a Pro-Bowl caliber player.

Comparatively, Mayfield has an NFL prospect grade of just 6.04 meaning he is “only” expected to be an instant starter. Darnold is also noted for having more of the essential qualities present in leading NFL quarterbacks and has even been compared to 3x Pro-Bowler Andrew Luck.

However, even with Darnold’s NFL-ready qualities, some still believe Mayfield was the best fit for the Browns. Fifth Former Robert Esgro said,“Obviously Baker Mayfield still has his issues with his attitude, but I think his playstyle along with his competitive drive will push him to be a great quarterback in the league.”

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The Index - Sports

May 2018

Track and field hurdles through demanding season VINCENT SCAUZZO ‘20

Heartbreak hit the track team after a thirdplace finish at the 2018 Inter-Ac championship.

Coming out of the winter season, the track team was not expecting high results as some of the top runners were injured and some would be injured the rest of the spring, like Sixth Former Sam Lindner. Without support from runners like Lindner and many others, the team struggled to gain momentum and perform up to their usual standards.

Still, the team put in more effort than ever this season, with runners setting personal bests across the board. With runners like Fourth Former Lleyton Winslow breaking five minutes in the mile, Fifth Former Dan Whaley winning most events he runs, and Sixth Former Mark Gregory tying the school record at press time, the team was surprisingly optimistic going into Inter-Acs. They had beaten key teams during the regular season and hoped that their chances would be even better with consistent domination from the 4x400 team.

By the time qualifying for Inter-Acs rolled around two days before the big meet, the team felt prepared. They proved themselves worthy of such confidence as many members of the team placed well enough to earn good positions in the lineup.

Coach Luqman Kolade had inspired the athletes and everyone felt like a contender when Saturday came.

Starting off in the morning with the field events, jumping, pole vault, and shot put, athletes were ready to go. Fifth Former Petey Lemmon scored an impressive third place in the shot put after an EA athlete threw much better than expected. The team hoped for second, but Petey scored a personal best. The long jump and triple jump events did not bring the team many points, nor did the pole vault.

In the first running event, the 4x800, the team finished first, with young runners like Lleyton Winslow and Third Former A.J. Sanford showing some serious speed. Fourth Former Dayiaan Hawkins crushed in the 100-meter dash, winning the event, and Fourth Former Caleb Reed placed fourth. This put the Fords back in contention for a time. Fifth Former Dan Whaley set a new school record in the 400-meter race with a time of 48.99.

Second and third-place finishes were common among the team, with first place usually close by.

But in a meet where the same team won most of the events, first-place finishes were necessary, and for the Fords, they came too little and too late. In the middle of the meet, the winning died down and the points leader, Germantown Academy, kept pulling ahead. They did this so much that by the time the Fords had realized the size of GA’s lead, there were not enough events to make up the points difference. Still, second place was within

Mental preparations before hurdle event.

a shot, with Sixth Former Will Merhige injuring himself in the 2-Mile, and the speedy 4x400 team taking second when they needed first, the team only managed to finish third overall.

One could sense the pure frustration and

DR. MICHAEL NANCE

disappointment at the team tent. Everyone had high hopes going in and worked very hard. For some reason, this year’s Inter-Ac championship meet was just not the Fords’ day.

Tennis aims to net a tenth Inter-Ac title TYLER ZIMMER ‘21

Golz ’18 finishes an attacking forehand drive to Episcopal Academy.

MR. JIM ROESE

Along with the many other spring teams looking to end their seasons on a high note, the tennis team has the opportunity to clinch the Inter-Ac title for the tenth time in the last eleven years.

To win each match, the Fords must defeat their opponent in four out of the seven individual or doubles matches.

The team must defeat Malvern and Springside Chestnut Hill in the coming weeks.

To do so, Coach Antonio Fink believes that every match matters for the team, as the last match, a non-league match against Princeton Day School will “provide an accurate final assessment on our team quality.”

Coach Fink encourages his players, high or low in rank, as every match counts for the same amount when tallying the final scores.

The Fords have the competitive edge going into the final Inter-Ac matches, as they have a deep history of winning the title. Coach Fink said that players “wholeheartedly commit to leading Haverford to conference and regional titles.”

High School tennis matches include a display of both singles and doubles matches. Fink expressed that “singles players are self-motivators, and doubles teams rely on each other to stay focused and positive throughout the match.” Although the roster spots change frequently, the standout players in the three singles positions include captains John Walsh and Grayson Potter, along with Nick Chakraborty and Emilio Fink.

Victories from these players led the team to wins

over league rivals like Germantown Academy and Penn Charter, along with many non-league matches.

Alongside the Fifth Formers and Sixth Formers, many of the star players consisted of lowerclassmen such as Fourth Formers Cole Wolf and Aly Ba as well.

“The last two season have been fun getting to know the older players,” Wolf said. “The older kids respect the younger kids and provide strong leadership when they run the practices.”

He believes that the Fords are in a good position to finish the season with victories to seal the Inter-Ac title. Although each individual player’s goal remains to climb the ladder and claim a singles position, they work together as a unit and display the teamwork and cooperation skills necessary to win the three remaining matches.

Fourth Former Aly Ba agrees with the team goals of winning the last few matches of the season. “It is a tough schedule, but we are more than capable,” Ba said.

The team thrived for the most part of the season and are in contention for the Inter-Ac title once again. Ba believes that the team “benefited seeing the high intensity that the California teams brought.”

Ultimate Frisbee bids for a successful season MATT LAROCCA ’18 The Haverford Ultimate Frisbee team is led

by Sixth Formers David Aspinall, Bobby Stratts, Satch Baker, Benji Bacharach, Grey Rumain, and Aidan Mantelmacher. Fifth Formers George Maguire, Barrett Spragg, and Fran Radano also make major contributions. Mr. Greg Ressler, Mr. Samuel Walters, and Dr. Andrew Fenton coach the squad.

“The team can reach these goals by understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses in practice, helping to get everyone familiarized, and helping everyone to understand their specific role on the team.”

-Bobby Stratts ’18

So far, the team has enjoyed a successful 2018 season. They have fared well against multiple Division-1 opponents, including Archbishop Carroll, whom they defeated twice, and Strath Haven, a perennial ultimate powerhouse.

Still, this experienced team is nowhere near satisfied. The team has its sights set on the Ultimate Division-2 Cities Championship.

Sixth Former Bobby Stratts said, “Our goal for the season is to hopefully repeat what happened two years ago and win Cities, earning a promotion to Division 1.”

In order to reach their goal of winning the Division-2 City Championship, the team emphasizes the importance of teamwork. The Fords believe that the team is only as strong as their weakest link.

“The team can reach these goals by understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses in practice, helping to get everyone familiarized, and helping everyone to understand their specific role on the team,” Stratts said.

Bobby Stratts ’18 leaping off the ground to make a play.

MR. JIM ROESE

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The Index - Arts

May 2018

The underground campus SoundCloud click YAN GRAF ’20

From the Notables to the jazz band, Haverford has always had a diverse and talented group of music makers. Over the past year, however, a new group of artists have debuted: the SoundCloud artists.

For those out of the loop, SoundCloud is a music distribution platform that allows anyone to showcase their musical talents by simply making an account and posting songs. The platform has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2007, and it now boasts 175 million users a month (the most of any music streaming site) listening to 140 million songs — almost fives times as many as on Spotify. The website has spawned some of the music industry’s hottest stars, such as Lil Pump, Travis Scott, Post Malone, and Lil Uzi Vert.

The SoundCloud phemenom has now reached Wilson Hall.

A rising star has emerged in the form of Fourth Former Tommy White. White said he got his start when he “was at summer camp and there were a bunch of people huddled around a laptop in a cabin with someone blasting his music. There was this group of people whom I still talk to who mainly got me into making music. From there, I just started messing around with the software I use [FL Studio] and would make little EDM/Dance tracks.”

Another student music producer is Fourth Former Dylan DiNubile. His experience with the guitar inspired him to start making music. DiNubile said what he likes most about making music is experimenting with new sounds. He said, “A few years ago, I started putting together chords and letting my friends make lyrics over it.”

Of course, no music producer can create a track on

his own. Haverford has no shortage of new, creative lyricists. Fourth Former Scion Dorsey, also known as $ci on his songs, is one of them. Dorsey said he wants to be just like his favorite rappers such as Lil Uzi Vert and Trippie Redd. Perhaps the most famous SoundCloud rapper to emerge this year from Haverford would be Fourth Former Griffin Haase, also known as Nava Ho. Haase even got mentions from rappers in other schools, such as Tbreck, a rapper in the sophomore class at Malvern. Nava Ho has collaborated with Tommy White on multiple songs, and he has worked with Dorsey on a few tracks. White explains the number of collaborations between the rappers: the Haverford SoundCloud rap community is still “a relatively small

Solomon Dorsey’s “Juice Wrld” on Soundcloud.

INDEX STAFF

community with a very unique audience.”

While the number of Fords listening to and following these artists online is by no means small, Dorsey and White said they would appreciate if they could have more school space to gain recognition.

White said, “The thing that would make the Haverford Community the most powerful tool for exposure of my music is if everyone at Haverford spread my music to other communities that they are a part of.”

Dorsey believes there is already a place for students to create and express themselves on campus, namely the recording studio in the basement of Centennial, also called the “Stu.” He also be-

lieves that the school “should invest more into the SoundCloud industry” on campus.

Dinubile said that students already do plenty of sharing and recognizing on their own but “if there was time in music class where we could go over each other’s work, that would be really cool.”

Whether simply expressing themselves or trying to imitate their favorite musicians, one thing is clear: the work these and several other students are putting into their SoundCloud music is not stopping anytime soon. While Haase believes that 2018 is “his year” and he’ll “blow up” soon, Dinubile explains that “as of right now, it’s just a hobby, and a fun past time, but I’ll definitely keep making music.”

no match for the combination of international veterans like Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić, who have experience performing at the highest levels, and the young talent found in dynamic creators like Isco and Marco Asensio. Liverpool’s best chance at taking this will be definitely with their strikers, especially Salah, but he has proven to be vulnerable to having bad games, especially when

a skilled defense locks down on him.

Regardless of which side takes the trophy home, we are all invited to a real treat of a game.

Will Salah continue his remarkable season as one of Europe’s best strikers? Will Ronaldo show the world that he is still a Ballon d’or contender? The only way to find out will be by watching the big game on May 26.

course. Politics have always been a subject on late night shows: part of the program is to discuss current events. Recently, the amount of politics discussed has increased dramatically, and some people think it is too much.

Fourth Former Anthony D’Ignazio said, “There’s moments where it can be funny, but at the same time people find it funny almost because someone agrees with them. They are going to laugh because [Trump] is easy to laugh at. I can’t say [the comedians] are not funny, but it’s almost like they don’t have material”.

Let’s talk Trump, because if we are all honest, the Commander-in-Chief is a big reason why politics is on late night so much. Take a look at where the shows are filmed. It’s L.A. and New York, maybe Chicago, but primarily the West and East. These cities are populated, they are terrible to drive in, and, oh yeah, pretty left-winged. Sure, you have your Wall Street money-watchers, but typically, when you think these cities, you think Big Blue.

What does this have to do with late night television? Well, if you tune in to just about any talk show, you will see the host mocking one of the President’s tweets or recent acts in the government, and then you will hear the scream of approval from the studio audience. Jimmy Kimmel can barely get a word in over his audience whenever he says something about the President. Yet, you could argue, and most hosts would agree, Trump provides a lot of the material openly through his Twitter feed and somewhat over-the-top speech delivery. The hosts are trying to appeal to this large left-wing audience, and they also might be expressing their own political views in the process. In whatever case, they get views.

You cannot forget that a show is supposed to make money for a network, and maintaining viewership is how a show makes money. If the host knows what a large group of people like and dis-

like, and has plenty of material at his or her disposal, it would be stupid to not take advantage of that. This goes back to my original point of people wanting others to agree with them. If the show says what people like, and they can get a laugh out of it, you better believe they are watching. Imagine the country’s two most populated cities watching one show, just because the host does a funny Trump impersonation and also thinks the Toyota Prius is good for the environment.

What some people, like Fourth Former Sawyer Hoyt, say is that “it’s a dead joke.” He has a point.

This mocking of the President has been going on since well before the election, and when it happens every night, week after week, it does get old.

Trevor Noah’s show on Comedy Central is 22 minutes almost entirely focused on criticizing and humiliating Trump, including his segment “Ain’t Nobody got Time For That: Trump Addition.”

Alec Baldwin from SNL has been doing a Trump impersonation since the election, and the President has made it clear Baldwin is not his favorite impersonator.

It’s not just the President who makes the headlines in the current events sections of these shows.

Feminism, immigration, North Korea, and other contemporary topics are discussed, too. There is a lot of news right now, and most big headlines get talked about on the shows, but often, the big headlines are about Trump. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Comedians are some of the hardest working people, and every show gets millions of views per airing, proving the content is successful. The times in talk shows are changing, and this may just be because of all the major headlines in the news or also because the hosts are trying to appeal to younger audiences. Regardless, the facts are the facts, and the fact is, the joke is getting old.

Champions league, cont.

While both teams have been stellar so far, there is only one winner, and it will most likely be Real Madrid. Madrid simply has the experience and the cool that Liverpool does not. This is to be expected from a team that is not only older, but has also practiced winning the Champions League for the last two years in a row, with many returning veterans. While Liverpool’s offense

is definitely better than Real’s currently, with Salah’s stunning season, Real Madrid will have an easier time taking down Liverpool’s young and inexperienced defense. In midfield, players like Casemiro will provide invaluable playmaking and defensive ability, while also holding down speedy strikers like Salah. While Liverpool’s midfield has been performing well this season, they are

Heeeere’s Donny!

VINCENT SCAUZZO ’20

People always like it when other people agree with them. It just feels good to know some random guy also hates a politician, likes a type of food, or believes in a higher power. People then walk around feeling confident and thinking that they know everything about anything.

People like to be right when it comes to politics.

Most will stand by their political views no matter what, even if they say they are open-minded and prove this by trying “vegan tofu liver.” The point is no matter what, people crave approval and are commonly stubborn about their views.

As much as people enjoy talking about their opinions, most like to relax and laugh sometimes.

After a long day at the office or school, people often turn on the TV or streaming device, and they search for their favorite celebrity comedian.

Whether it is Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers, or the cast from Saturday Night Live, people love watching foolish shenanigans played by modern celebrities and hearing stand-up from renowned comics.

When you think of these talk shows, you might think of classics skits and famous celebrity appearances. Nowadays, much of what is talked about on late night TV is politics, with a satirical tone, of

NEIL GRABOWSKY/MONTCLAIR FILM VIA WIKIMEDIA

Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee at the Montclair Film Festival, December 2017.

Page 19

The Index - Arts

J. Cole’s fresh perspective on substance abuse

May 2018

MATT MIGNUCCI ’20

J. Cole in 2016.

Music is constantly changing and evolving from generation to generation, especially when it comes to hip hop. It always seems that whenever J. Cole drops an album, the entire industry buzzes. With his thought-provoking lyrics, catchy beats, and powerful storytelling, people of any generation can enjoy his music. In his fifth studio album KOD, Cole decided to present his thoughts to the new, younger generation on the effects of substance abuse.

KOD stands for three different titles: “Kids on Drugs”, “King Overdose,” and “Kill our Demons.” The album cover for KOD perfectly represents the three themes through J.Cole as King Overdose, the Kids on Drugs pictured under him, and demons lurking in the back. Through these three subtitles, he is able to speak on his previous encounters with drugs, the direction of substance abuse in the present day, and how to prevent it.

The first three songs on the album —“Intro,” “KOD,” “Photograph,” and “The Cut Off (feat. kiLL edward)” — all fall under the first subtitle “Kids on Drugs.” The Intro track features a soft women’s voice who says, “Life can bring much pain. There are many ways to deal with this pain.

Choose wisely.” She warns people not to give in to the temptation of drugs when they experience pain in life, a recurring theme of the album.

The next track, “KOD,” represents a story in which somebody, possibly Cole himself, is introduced to the world of drugs. Cole raps, “How I grew up, only few would’ve loved, ‘Member I got my first view of the blood, I’m hangin’ out and they shoot up the club, My homie got pharmaceutical plug, I smoke the drug and it run through my vein, I think it’s workin’, it’s numbin’ the pain.” This was the introduction to drugs for the character. From here, everything continues to escalate throughout the rest of the album.

The next song is “Photograph,” which discusses how the people of new generations not only live their lives through social media but also fall in love through it. Cole says, “Fell in love through photograph, I don’t even know your name, Wonder if you’d follow back, I hope to see you one day.” Online dating and online relationships are becoming very common nowadays, and Cole speaks on how people fall in love with each other without ever really knowing each other.

The final song from the first subtitle is “The Cut Off (feat. kiLL edward).” In this song, Cole speaks about how he needs to limit the people he keeps close to his good friends and family because others use him for fame and wealth. It is rare for J. Cole to have a feature; kiLL edward is actually an alter ego drug addict who is played by Cole in a distorted voice. This alter ego creates a parallel between Cole and Edward while also providing both perspectives to substance abuse.

The next two songs — “ATM” and “Motiv8” are both under the second subtitle — “King Overdose.” “ATM,” which stands for “Addicted to Money,” provides insight into the drug business and gaining money in general. The money flow was continuous and Cole explains how it began to affect his everyday life. But in the end, his wealth is just a number in a bank account. Cole states, “A million dollars, I count up in intervals, Without it I’m miserable, Don’t wanna fall off so I’m all in my bag, Thankin’ God like it’s biblical, I know

it’s gon’ solve every problem I have.” The money has become an addiction and is consuming him as a result.

“Motiv8” continues the message of “ATM.” All of the money and drugs are motivation for Cole to continue his hustle and continue his believed success. “Get money, Fly to D.R. on a weekday, eatin’ ceviche, With like half of a mili’ inside of my briefcase, A couple of freaks play, And they don’t speak Ingles, But the money is somethin’ that they could comprende.” Cole is a man on a mission in this track.

The third and final subtitle of the album, “Kill our Demons,” features the tracks “Kevin’s Heart,” “BRACKETS,” “Once an Addict (Interlude),” “FRIENDS (feat. kiLL edward),” and “Window Pain (Outro).”

The first track “Kevin’s Heart” speaks about the evil of alcohol and drugs when it comes to staying married and loyal. This song is dedicated to Kevin Hart who recently cheated on his now ex-wife, a poor decision made under the influence. As a celebrity, there are certainly a lot of temptations to overcome, and alcohol impedes the ability to make good decisions.

The next track, “BRACKETS,” opens with a skit from Richard Pryor teasing Kevin Hart about the amount of money he makes. Cole then be-

KIRSTEN GREENE VIA WIKIMEDIA

gins to state his thoughts on taxes and where his money is really going. He states that, “Better yet, let me decide, b****, it’s 2018, Let me pick the things I’m funding from an app on my screen, Better that than letting wack congressman I’ve never seen, Dictate where my money go.”

Cole believes the system is corrupt and wants to make sure his tax money is going where it’s supposed to go. To end the song, Cole tells an emotional story that involves a woman whose son died due to guns that landed in her neighborhood because of the taxes she was paying to the government. This powerful story makes you pause at the end of the song and think about what you just heard.

The next track, “Once an Addict (Interlude),” is an extremely personal song for Cole. He speaks about his relationship with his mother and the difficulties of his parents’ divorce. Cole describes the addiction to alcohol and depression that he and his mother had to experience from the time of his mother’s childhood into his own young adult days. Cole remembers, “I used to stay out later on purpose, Subconsciously I was nervous that if I came home early then what would surface was her inner demons, And then I’d have to end up seein’ my hero on ground zero.” Cole shows the emotional toll that his mother’s addiction and

J. Cole on iTunes.

depression had on him as well on this heartfelt, sentimental track.

“FRIENDS” is a track devoted to assigning blame for addiction, but Cole concludes that there is no one thing to blame. He writes this song to his childhood friends and to all kids going through the same things he did. Cole tells the people in similar situations, “I know you say it helps and no I’m not trying to offend, But I know depression and drug addiction don’t blend.” He also touches on the subject of mental health and how it often goes untreated in adolescents.

In the outro track, “Window Pain (Outro),” J. Cole reveals his true feelings towards drug addiction. He believes that he is standing on the inside looking out of a window as his friends keep making all the mistakes that he warns them about.

Cole stresses, “I be tryna give ‘em game like Santa did when Christmas came, They be listenin’ but it’s clear to me they did not hear a thing, It go in one ear and out the other like a bullet out the muzzle of a pistol shot by brothers standin’ pointblank range.” He realizes he can’t control what his friends do and he can’t blame himself because he is doing everything he can. The song ends with a little girl who shares her views on evil in the world. She claims, “Because God is tryna, um, Warn us or teach us a lesson that we need to learn, Or He’s tryna warn us of He’s comin’ back to, um, see us and take us home and redo the world, He’s comin’ back to, um, have us be His children and for us to see Him for the first time so we can rejoice with Him and have our time, And after we do that, He’s gonna restart the world.” After that, the woman’s voice comes back from the “Intro” and once again softly says, “Choose Wisely,” as the song fades away.

The final track on the album is not related to the three subtitles but is labeled as “1985 (Intro to ‘The Fall Off’).” In this track, Cole takes the form of a diss track but uses it as more of an “Advice Track” for the newer generation rappers who are riding trends. Cole tries to warn them that they won’t be able to sustain this lifestyle and they need to create a sustainable identity to stay relevant.

It is no coincidence that this album about drug and substance abuse debuted on April 20th, a day associated with the marijuana legalization movement. With Cole’s first-hand experiences on drugs and its negative effects, he was the perfect person to give insight on the topic. His talent as a rapper allowed him to create an appealing outlet for people of all ages to listen to, enjoy, and learn from.

INDEX STAFF

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The Index - Arts

May 2018

Goggins’ mind constantly told him he was not good enough and he would never accomplish anything. Each time he failed, he reminded himself, “What if...” What if he didn’t quit? What if he ran the extra 20 miles?” Goggins learned how to use his failures as fuel to propel himself forward, constantly trying to better himself in every facet of his life.

He set a goal to “be uncommon among uncommon people.”

On “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the only pieces of equipment used are microphones, stripping the podcast down to its most simplistic form: the in-

terview. This enables Rogan to highlight the raw and powerful emotions of Goggins story, while adding humor here and there to lighten the mood and keep his audience engaged.

Goggins’ intense lifestyle is not cut out for everyone. Some of his habits are unhealthy. His goal is not to make people follow his routine religiously, but to convince them to take his advice and strive for greatness. Failure is common and success can be too. He believes everyone has the capability to accomplish their goals. Goggins’ story, told through Rogan’s show, is inspirational.

The Joe Rogan experience: David Goggins HARRISON FELLHEIMER ’18 Society rewards mediocrity. People often excuse themselves for their lack of motivation and failure to succeed. They become blinded by communal norms and neglect the hard work, drive, and passion needed to thrive.

“The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast provides listeners with tips on how to optimize their lives.

In his 1080th episode, Joe Rogan introduces his viewers to David Goggins. Goggins grew up in a poor family, suffered from an abusive father, and rapidly gained weight. But that didn’t stop him.

When most people would quit, Goggins got back up. His drive enabled him to open doors and go down paths he never thought existed.

The more opportunities that presented themselves, the more he believed in himself.

Goggins repeatedly failed until he succeeded.

Barely passing high school, he went on to attend the United States Air Force Academy. Medical tests resulted in a sickle-cell trait diagnosis, in addition to numerous heart conditions requiring two operations. On a leave of absence, Goggins hit rock bottom. He went from an officer in the Air Force to an overweight, 300lb exterminator making $1,000 a month, barely able to pay his rent and drinking milkshakes every night. One night, he looked in the mirror and asked himself, “In 50 years when I reflect back on myself, will I have any regrets?”

From then on, he promised himself to become better.

The next day, he went for a run, covering only a quarter mile. Within the next three months, Goggins lost over 100 pounds and went to Navy SEAL training, where he faced both physical and mental pain. He had to deal with fellow officers using racial slurs, as he was only the 36th African American Navy SEAL in history. He put himself through three brutal Hell Weeks in one year, the only one to ever do so. Every time he failed, he got back up and tried again. After leaving the SEALs, Goggins began training for ultramarathons. He qualified for the Boston Marathon, the daunting 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. He eventually matured into a confident athlete capable of running 205

miles in the span of 39 hours.

Goggins feels nothing but pride. He is an extremely driven individual with an incredible work ethic. Society traps people into feeling powerless and stuck in their current situation. Goggins is living proof of a person who felt this way. He felt stuck but found a way to work out of it and become a person not only he is proud of, but also who is admired and respected by others.

People perceived Goggins as “callous” and isolated. They saw him as an intimidating extremist.

But they didn’t know his story.

Student listens to David Goggins featured on The Joe Rogan Experience

HARRISON FELLHEIMER ’18

Childish Gambino: This is [the reality of] America BOBBY STRATTS ’18 Few events capture the attention of a whole nation. Police brutality, death, violence, and popular social media trends manage to find their way into the spotlight of mainstream television and publications. Why America? How can a country experience mass conflicts but still be considered “the greatest country on Earth”?

One man challenged that notion, explaining what it meant to everyone who watched his video.

That man is Donald Glover, known as Childish Gambino to his rap followers. A Wu-Tang name generator created the name, and he has stuck with it since. Glover is known for his hit television show, Atlanta, which just concluded its second season on FX after earning two Emmy Awards. Glover became the first black director to win the comedy series category.

His new song “This is America” examines the culture and stereotypes in America, and the accompanying music video encompasses many new themes and metaphors that have shaped the reality

of American life for people of color.

The music video opens with a man picking up and playing the guitar while Gambino stands in the back shirtless. Gambino then walks over, and the guitar player drapes a rag over his head.

The music in the background features an African rhythm and a choir. Gambino then shoots the musician in the head with a pistol and disposes of the weapon. The music ditches its lyrical peace and plays trap drums and a repetitive base tone. The murder scene is quite confusing, and purposefully so. Glover wanted the viewer to experience the sudden switch from tranquility to violence.

There have been thousands of incidents of police brutality and unarmed shootings in the past several years. Cases like Trayvon Martin and Stephon Clark are some of the more recent names of lives lost. Another scene in the video features a church choir singing and enjoying themselves until Gambino enters dancing, pauses for a second, then mows down the choir with an assault rifle. This event is a direct reference towards the Charleston

Church shooting where nine African Americans were murdered in a hate crime.

The viewer of the video with the same feeling of the victims’ families: “Why did this have to happen?” Glover makes viewers feel the same mood to try and convey the sense of uncertainty, confusion, and sadness African Americans feel when they are brutalized by police or the victims of one’s motives.

Throughout the whole video, Gambino dances with a group of teenagers. His focus is strictly on the camera in front of him. In the background, everything is happening from riots against guards and acts of arson to smashing of police cars, fighting, and even death riding a white horse. The camera focuses on Gambino in the center frame to distract the average viewer from these events. Glover is mocking America here. He uses a popular dance called the Shoot twice in the video, referencing the rise of Memphis rapper Blocboy JB, who invented the Shoot and used it in his music video. Blocboy JB rise was influenced by famous artist and rapper, Drake, who collaborated with Blocboy. Ad-libs, or

English teachers discussing the Childish Gambino video in a department meeting on May 16.

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signature sounds effects of certain rappers and hot artists, can be sampled; mumble rap has emerged as a fan favorite. People have stopped caring about what lyrics meanwhile trap drums and mumbling take over in 2018. Glover is not afraid to highlight that in the video.

Towards the end, there is a shot that speaks to all of America. In the video, people are watching the chaotic events on a balcony with their phones out. When an act of violence happens in America nowadays, peoples’ first reaction is to pull out their phones, record the action, and offer their opinion.

Some people will even exclaim, “Worldstar!”, referencing the popular social media site WorldStarHipHop. WSHH is known for posting videos of rising hip hop rappers and acts of violence. The kids on the balcony using their phones to film or ‘snap’ the scene raise the main concern that social media is desensitizing the public to global pandemonium.

Fights are now a source of views, and those who intervene are often booed for doing the right thing.

Social media is a phenomenon and curse because if it is not on social media, it’s as if it didn’t even happen at all.

The video ends with Gambino full-on sprinting down a hallway being chased by many people behind him. As he runs, another rapper named Young Thug can be heard singing, “You just a black man in this world / You just a barcode.” This references that despite acquiring a large amount of money as rappers, they still struggle with racism every day in America. In other words, money can’t block you from the hate. Over the course of history, many African Americans have had to run for their lives since the days of slavery, and escaping danger has meant running as fast as you could. Gambino is terrified of what’s behind him but refuses to turn around; he only keeps running.

In a song called “Yaphet Kotto,” Childish Gambino says, “Young, Black, and gifted but he’s still in America.” Known for his take on the world, Gambino presents a brief documentary on the life of an African American. Glover is just a man on a mission, a mission of trying to make others see a different perspective about life in “The greatest country on earth.”

Glover shows the real America.